The Legend of the Starlit Hero
by OniHelix
Summary: The Hooded Demon, one of the most feared bounty hunters in Hylian history. One might think that mere bounty hunters are heartless, putting away others for their own benefit. But the Hooded Demon... He's different. And unlike most bounty hunters, the Hooded Demon has a destiny, one he would have chosen for another to be fated with. After all, he was only 17 years old. T to be safe
1. The Hooded Demon

**This next story was requested by Reclusive Dork (No, I'm not mocking him, that is his username), I thought at first that it would be a bit of stretch from what I usually do. But hey, I've gotten better since I started writing. And I have to admit, the story he recommended sounded pretty cool. So, without further ado, I give you The Legend of the Starlit Hero.**

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The Legend of the Starlit Hero

Chapter 1

The Hooded Demon

"Hold it right there!"

He couldn't believe it. He had worked for so long to earn his place in this gang. He was even pretty high up the food chain, earning a bounty of 2,000 Rupees.

And on his tail was one of Hyrule's most feared bounty hunters, the Hooded Demon.

The Hooded Demon was a highly feared man, and a very skilled fighter. His entire guard was decommissioned when they were assaulted by a hooded man with a bow, knocking them all out with well-placed shots so as not to be lethal.

"Atlas Fang, running will only make it worse. Stop now and maybe I'll put in a good word with the guards. If not..."

The criminal, Atlas, winced as an arrow whizzed by his head and stuck itself into a tree nearby, an audible 'thunk' as it slammed into the tree.

"I'll only get half the Rupees."

Atlas kept running, not willing to risk his capture, even to the Hooded Demon. Running behind a nearby oak, he stopped to catch his breath. The Demon was persistent, he'd give him that.

"But he'll never catch Atlas Fang."

Before he could continue his run, he was caught by a metal wire wrapping around the tree, impeding his movement.

And of course, the Hooded Demon walked out from behind that very tree.

"How much are you willing to bet?"

Atlas swallowed nervously. He'd never seen the Hooded Demon before, but he did hear things from his fellow gang-mates. The Hooded Demon, hence his name, always wore a black cloak with a hood that provided a deep enough shadow that hid all but the lower half of his face, displaying the fact that he bore long blonde side locks, and a small scar on his chin a little to the left. However, his clothing was easy enough to identify by itself. Aside from the cloak, he wore a green tunic with black trim on top of silver chain mail, as well as beige pants tucked into brown leather boots with silver plating on the front for protection. He could tell due to a faint glint that he bore at least a silver chest plate, and likely bore armor on his upper arms. Over his shoulder he could see he bore a simple sword and bow, and Atlas also thought he saw a shield as well.

"L-Let me out of this, you freak!"

"Sorry, but I can't do that. You're worth too much. Like the wanted poster said, 2,000 Rupees is nothing to scoff at. You'll pay for the next few months to say the least."

The Hooded Demon said the last part with a smirk, causing Atlas to squirm even more.

"Goddesses dammit, let me out of here, before I kill you!"

Before he could speak another word, he found himself looking down the blade of the Demon's sword. And judging by how sharp it was, Atlas could tell it would zip through his skin like a hot knife through butter.

"Okay okay, look, how about I double that amount? My employer could easily dish out 4,000 Rupees. So if you let me go, I'll make it worth your while."

He expected release; not the Demon's blade slamming into the tree next to him, sinking its sharp blade into the wood with ease.

"T-Triple! Please, just let me go!"

"You know, I'd be fine with 1,000 Rupees if it got you out of circulation, Atlas. So why are you digging your grave deeper? Trying to bribe a bounty hunter... Tch. Bad choice."

Atlas winced as the Demon lifted his sword, only to feel his bindings slacken. And the to feel his face meet the hunter's fist.

"I swear, they always try to buy me out. Typical criminal. They only ever talk big when they have an advantage. But the moment they lose that advantage..."

He snapped his fingers as if to prove a point.

"Like night and day. Anyway, time to get him to the local guards. I bet Sis is worried by now."

Throwing the dazed criminal over his shoulder, the Hooded Demon brought his fingers to his lips and whistled very loudly.

"You should feel lucky. You took longer than other criminals for me to catch. Guess that means that you aren't just bark, you've got some bite."

"F-Fuck... you..." Atlas managed to cough between ragged breaths.

"Hey now."

The Demon bounced Atlas, driving his shoulder uncomfortably into his gut, causing him to cough.

"You get blood on my cloak, and you'll be paying for more than your crimes."

Shortly after reprimanding his latest catch, the Demon turned to the sound of a galloping horse making its way through the forest.

"Hurry up, girl. This guy's a little heavy for my taste."

Atlas spit on the Demon's cloak, earning a sudden turnaround that slammed his head into a tree.

"Huh? You say something?"

The Demon smirked again as he felt Atlas go limp, the strike to the head knocking him out. After a few more seconds, a brown mare with white tufts of fur near her hooves, a white main, and a white tail. The Demon patted her, reached into the saddlebag on her back, and fed the horse an apple.

"Good girl. I can always count on you for my hunts."

The hunter wasted no time in placing his latest catch on the horse's back, saddling up shortly after.

"Alright, girl, let's head out!"

Placing his legs against his mount's haunches, he urged her to a canter, easily making his way out of the forest he had found Atlas.

And headfirst into a group of at least 12 more gangsters.

"I don't have time for this."

With his horse rearing back intimidatingly, he drew his blade and urged her to a sprint past the new group of offenders. After the initial shock of seeing a feared bounty hunter carrying their leader, they angrily gave chase.

"Get back here, punk, and maybe we'll only take one limb!"

The Demon laughed and let loose his mare's reigns, and standing up from the saddle, pulled out his bow and picked off three within the blink of an eye.

"Lay off and maybe I'll only take one more man!"

Giving a smirk and a two fingered-salute, he spun around and landed back onto his saddle, laughing.

"Kill him and get the boss back!"

The Demon turned around, only to see that one of the gangsters had a pretty quick horse, quickly shortening the gap between himself and the bounty hunter, approaching on his left side.

"Get back here, you little freak!"

The Demon took a swing at the gangster, catching him off-guard and leaving a gash in his upper arm.

"Gah! You brat!"

With his non-wounded arm, he tried to grab the Demon, but only succeeded in pulling down his hood, revealing blonde hair, blue earrings, startlingly blue eyes, and a boy who appeared to be 17 years-old.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Thinking fast, he spun around and kicked the man in the face with his right leg, a very difficult maneuver to pull off, slipping back into his saddle after knocking the offender off of his horse. He smirked again, something he appeared to do often.

"Better lay off! I'll take out every last one of you if I need to!"

The remaining eight were hesitant, but did as they were warned and backed down.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky!" shouted a gangster.

The Demon smirked yet again and urged to mare to a greater speed, pulling out of sight.

Letting out a sigh, he slowed his horse to a trot and sheathed his sword.

"Whew. I thought they weren't going to buy the tough guy act. Well, I better turn him in and get the money home to Sis. She's got to be worried sick by now."

OOO

A young girl, likely 16, was pacing back and forth in front of a door in her house, clearly waiting for someone or something. Or both, if you really think about it.

She was quite cute, to be honest, bearing long blonde hair and blue eyes, blue earrings, a brown skirt down to mid-thigh, a green shirt and cap, as well as brown boots with white thigh-high leggings.

She turned to the door when she heard it open, and gave a breath of relief when the Hooded Demon walked through the door.

Or, as she called him...

"Brother, you're back! How did it go?"

The Hooded Demon pulled down his hood, displaying a shy smile. "For a while back there, I thought that they would catch me. But thankfully, they didn't see through the tough guy act and bought it."

"You know I hate to ask, but did you get the bounty?"

"Full 2,000 Rupees. This should be able to pay for the next few months."

He pulled out a bag from a pouch on his belt, handing it to the girl. She gladly took it, checking the contents.

"Yep, that looks like it's the full 2,000. Good job, Brother! This should be more than enough to pay for food for a month, maybe more!"

"I'm glad. It's been getting hard to find high bounties that are easy. On that Atlas job, someone managed to remove my hood. We may have to lay low a bit, alright? Don't be frivolous with that money, and spend only what you need so as not to draw attention."

"Okay, Brother. I plan on heading out tomorrow to get food and such. Would you be willing to come along to help carry everything home?"

"Hehe, yeah, no problem, Ryla." (1)

"Thanks, Link."

OOO

The rest of the day passed by without incident. Link and Ryla spoke of the boy's most recent hunt, what to do with Link's recent haul, casual conversation.

Bidding Link goodnight, Ryla went upstairs and went to bed. Link merely sat down in front of his fireplace, contemplating his recent hunt. He's had to get bolder and bolder with recent bounties in order to pay for Ryla and himself, taking down criminals higher up the food chain. Sighing, he grabbed his sword and began sharpening it.

"What if one of these days... I don't come back? Ryla isn't ready to go out for hunts yet, and there's no other work she could do..."

Shaking his head, he looked down at his blade. Though it was a standard sword, he took very good care of it. The blade was finely honed, and shone brightly in the light of the fire. The handle was simple with a standard leather wrap, brown in color. The cross guard was sky blue, and the grey blade bore a small fuller around half the length of the blade. The scabbard matched to sword very well, being predominantly brown with sky blue markings and gray metal braces at the opening and near the end. (2) Sheathing the blade and placing it by his chair he closed his eyes.

"But I can't leave her alone. Not yet. I'll only be able to let her on her own when she can take care of herself. But for now, I have to care for her. I have to protect my kid sister. Mom and Dad wanted me to, I know it."

Dowsing the fire, he placed his sword on the mantle along with his shield, removed his cloak and armor, then made his way upstairs. As he made his way past Ryla's room, he couldn't help but smile. Ryla was sleeping peacefully, having fallen asleep in the middle of reading a book. Even the light was still on.

Walking in, he took the book and placed a bookmark in it, closing it. Seeing the cover, he smiled again. Ryla had been reading one of the books they had about the old heroes. According to legend, whenever evil threatened the great land of Hyrule, a hero wielding a legendary blade baring an unbreakable spirit would stand up, ready to face the great evil regardless of the odds. The thing about the stories is that while the heroes were remembered, their names weren't. The last hero that Hyrule had the honor of raising was the Hero of Twilight, the Hero rumored to have the greatest natural strength, swordsmanship, and the ability to change into a wolf.

He changed the typical Hero formula, using the Dark One's own magic against him in the form of that very wolf.

Link couldn't lie. The thought of saving the world and getting the princess would be nice, but for right now he had his own world to save, and his own princess.

He put out the light and pulled the blanket further over Ryla, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. A small smile was present on her face after he did so, and he had to smile too. He loved his sister very much. He'd gladly give his life if it meant he could protect her. Closing the door behind him, he walked to his own room, hanging his bow up on a hook. Link had never been really proud of his bow. It was a bow he lifted off of a criminal from a hunt back when he was 13. The criminal he took it from was pretty bad, and was even worse at maintaining his weapon. He managed to bring it back a little, but it still was nothing to gawk at.

"I need a new bow badly."

Removing his tunic, chain mail, and boots he sat on his bed, twiddling his thumbs.

"At least I can rest easy for a while. Atlas set us up very well."

Crawling into bed, he closed his eyes, falling asleep in mere minutes.

OOO

 _"Where... Where am I? Ryla? Where are you?!"_

 _Link had no idea how he got here, or even where he was._

 _"Hahaha... Ryla? Your sister? I'm afraid to say that she isn't among the living anymore. A state of being you're about to be familiar with!"_

 _Drawing his sword, Link looked around to try to find his attacker, but saw nothing but unending darkness._

 _"HA! Your fear smells delicious! If I'm not careful, I may sample a taste before I'm allowed to!"_

 _Link suddenly felt a cold presence looming over his shoulder, and spinning around quickly and skillfully, rent whatever stood behind him._

 _"Narrator, shut up. He didn't kill me."_

 _Wait, what? Who are you?_

 _"Oh, you know full well who I am. Hey, reader, I bet you wish you knew who I was! But guess what! If you find out, I might not kill you!"_

 _Whoever you are, stop breaking the fourth wall! I work really hard to keep it in one piece._

 _"Pffft. Like you really try. Does your manga have the same code, keep it in the pages?"_

 _I really have to apologize to all of the readers out there. Mr. Voice-_

 _"Screw you."_

 _*AHEM* Mr. Voice was not supposed to break the fourth wall. However, I can say he made this a bit more interesting. Thank you, Mr. Voice, you may continue with whatever you were doing._

 _"Ha, like I needed your permission. Anyway, where was I?"_

 _Link, after mentally questioning what he just witnessed, turned to finally meet his attacker, a shadowy figure with red eyes that stood out from the background._

 _"Oh, right, I was getting ready to reunite you with your sister!"_

 _In a burst of speed that no Hylian nor beast should have been capable of he found a silver blade with a red aura aimed at his neck. He merely closed his eyes. and..._

"Monster!"

Link looked around, realizing he was in his room. He looked down, realizing the shirt he wore overnight was drenched in sweat. Taking it off, he cast it to the side of his bed. Placing his head in his hands, he let out a deep breath.

"Nightmares... Why won't they stop? Always the same being..."

"Link? What happened? Is there something wrong?"

Ryla was shakily holding a short sword, one that he used to train her. Just because he'd always protect her didn't mean he didn't want her to learn to protect herself.

 _I... I don't want her to get scared, so I better not let her know what I saw._

"Just a bad dream. Pay it no mind, Sis."

"Well, if you say so. I have breakfast ready downstairs, so come down when you're dressed and ready, okay?"

Link nodded, being sure not to let Ryla know how scared he was. He was the man of this house, her protector. He didn't want to scare her with something that neither he nor she could fight.

"I'll down in a minute, thanks."

He had no idea what his destiny was to bring him. Be it war or peace, love or hate, it was his fate to meet with the greatest evil the world had ever known.

"Oh, and he's going to LOVE IT!"

Darn it, Mr. Voice!

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 **MR. VOICE STRIKES AGAIN. Before I mention today's points, I'd like to point out that this is a collaboration with Reclusive Dork, so he is also to be thanked for this one. I have help with all of my stories. (Yes, I'm not just magically this good. I have wonderful people to help me.) So, I'll mention those points.**

 **(1) Ryla is the name of Link's younger sister. I was going to go with Linkle or Lino, but I found Linkle to close to Tingle, which I felt was a nono, and Lino was pretty close to Link's. Therefore, Ryla! I was also considering Lyn, but Mr. Reclusive talked me out of that, as it was also a bit close to Link's name.**

 **(2) Basically the Ordon Sword from Twilight Princess, only recolored to resemble the Goddess Sword from Skyward Sword a bit. He has the Banded Shield from Skywards Sword as well, as it matches the sword very well in terms of appearance and practicality.**

 **Chuck Norris was originally planned to be included in Mount Rushmore. However, they found the granite to be far too weak for his beard, and instead changed it to Abraham Lincoln.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	2. Stricken

**Alright, first chapter was pretty good. But I don't want good. I want GREAT. So, I want to make this one GREAT! But, before it can be great, I need to publish the chapter first. In other words, let's get writing! And you, you get reading! Hope you guys enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

Stricken

Making his way downstairs, Link nearly slipped and fell due to a headache he received due to his nightmare. Righting himself, he continued his descent, sitting down at the dining table.

"Are you alright? I heard you stumble when you were coming down the stairs," questioned Ryla. "Are you sick or something?"

Placing a plate in front of him, she placed the back of her hand onto his forehead, checking for a temperature.

"You don't seem hot, but I can't be sure."

"Ryla, I'm fine, I'm fine. I just have a headache, and it's a persistent one, too. I might have hit my head in my sleep."

Ryla nodded, scooping some eggs and bacon onto his plate.

"Thank you. It looks... *Sniff* and smells delicious!"

Wasting no time, he dug in. Ryla laughed, surprised that little bits of food weren't flying everywhere as he tore away at his breakfast. Still laughing, she placed a fork in front of him, which he ignored and continued to eat.

"Don't let me stop you."

Sitting down, she began to eat as well, actually using a fork and knife.

"How's your headache?"

"Better, actually. Much better..."

He looked down at his left hand, specifically his birthmark. On the back of his left hand were three triangles held together at the points, together forming a single large triangle with a hollow in the center.

He never knew why, but he always felt more at ease when he looked upon his birthmark. Almost as if someone was with him.

"But, what can I say. It must be your cooking!"

"Hehe... No, i-it couldn't have been..." said Ryla rather shyly.

"Hey, we're siblings, and you still can't take a compliment?"

Grabbing a small piece of bacon, Ryla playfully threw it at her brother, only for him to catch it in his mouth and eat it, giving a thumbs up.

"Still good."

Ryla started laughing, causing Link to start laughing as well.

"I don't even get how that's funny," said Link in between laughs, "But it is!"

After a few minutes, the two calmed down and finished eating. Link helped Ryla with the dishes, cleaning them off and putting them away. Ryla knew he was terrible with dishes, mainly because he nearly dropped three plates. Thankfully, Link had amazing reflexes, being able to catch what he had dropped before they even got close to the ground.

"Maybe I should just hold off on dishes..."

"You really think so?"

Link sighed, helping her finish the dishes. Once everything was said and done, Link changed into a blue tunic and cap.

"Not green?" asked Ryla.

"The Hooded Demon wears green, not me," replied the bounty hunter.

"Oh, should I change too?"

"No, you don't have to," said Link. "You haven't gone on a hunt with me yet, so people who have it out for me won't know who you are. We'll be fine, Sis."

"Oh, okay! Let's go get what we need then. Should we take Epona?"

"Yeah. Despite being the Hodded Demon's horse, if I switch her saddle, no one should be able to connect her to me. Wanna help out? One day, you're going to have to know how to do it too."

Ryla smiled and watched her brother remove the Demon's Saddle, and followed his directions as he instructed her on how to put on another.

"...And you have to make sure that it's completely on. Epona doesn't like when she feels me swaying."

Link checked Ryla's work, and nodded, satisfied as he found it was on securely.

"Is it comfortable, Epona?"

Epona neighed in agreement, fine with the saddle in its current state.

"Alright, Ryla, it looks like you did a fine job. Now, let's head out. Do you have the list?"

Ryla nodded and handed her brother the list of things they were running short on. After looking it through, he mounted Epona and helped Ryla on, easing his mount into a canter.

"Ryla, even though I said that we were going to be careful with the money, I decided otherwise. I grabbed 400 Rupees, and we're getting our things from Castle Town."

"Castle Town, really?! Oh my Goddesses, thank you!"

"Not a problem. Oh, and this is going to your first time in Hyrule, isn't it? Who knows, if we get lucky, we may get to see the princess, haha!"

"Princess Zelda?! I might faint if I did... She's so pretty, I might even pick up a few tips!"

"But of course, that's if Her Majesty decides to grace the commoners with her presence."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that..." said Ryla. "But hey, there's always a chance she does! She loves Hyrule, just like the rulers before her."

"Hehe, you've always been able to look at the brighter side of things. Anyway, let's get going! I want you to see the capitol of our homeland!"

Urging Epona into a sprint, Link and Ryla continued on their way to Hyrule Castle Town.

OOO

Dismounting Epona and hitching her, Link helped Ryla off her back and walked with her around Castle Town so that she may see everything it had to offer.

"Oh, look, the Happy Mask Salesman! I hear he has the cutest masks EVER!"

"We have a decent amount of money, so... Do you want a mask or two?"

"OH MY GODDESSES YES!"

Ryla nearly tackled Link to the ground in a hug that he happily returned. After getting up and dusting themselves off, the two walked into the salesman's shop, Ryla looking around in awe.

"Aw, a Keaton Mask! Oh, Oh, and a Bunny Hood!"

While Ryla was fawning over the masks in the shop, Link addressed the salesman, an orange-haired man wearing purple clothing and baring a wide smile.

"Good morning, Sir. If it isn't too much to ask, but how much would each mask be?"

"Oh, but a mere 20 Rupees. Would you care for one?"

"Hmmm..." Link looked back to Ryla, who clearly couldn't choose between the Bunny Hood and the Keaton Mask.

"Maybe two."

Placing the 40 Rupees on the table, Link turned smiling back to Ryla.

"You really want those two?"

"Yeah! But, they might cost too much, don't they..."

"Oh, quite the opposite! 40 Rupees is really cheap for a couple of masks," said Link. "They're yours."

Ryla stopped and stared at him for a minute, before jumping up and down in joy with both masks in hand.

"I have the best older brother ever!"

Link laughed a moment before seeing another mask behind Ryla, one resembling a black skull with raised silver markings covering the left side, green around the eyes, and etchings covering the entirety giving it a decently threatening appearance. (1)

Grabbing the mask in question, he placed it in front of the salesman.

"How much is this one?"

"Ah, this Reaper's Mask," began the salesman, "costs 100 Rupees."

Link sighed, getting ready to place it back on the wall to where he found it, but he was stopped by the salesman.

"But for you, my good friend, I'll give it to you for a mere 25 Rupees. You did buy 2 other mask earlier, so I'll be generous."

Link handed the salesman the 25 Rupees, securing possession of the Reaper's Mask.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Hero."

Before Link could ask him what he meant, he slipped back into the shadows of his store, disappearing. Link paid it no mind, but placed his new mask over his face to show Ryla.

"It even matches the Hooded Demon's clothes!"

"You keep referring to him like he's a dif-"

Link gave Ryla a deep glare from beneath his new mask, silencing her.

"Oh, right. My bad, Brother."

Link removed the mask and walked with her out of the store, simultaneously placing his new mask into his pouch which he wore on his belt. He received that pouch from his father, and it could literally hold anything he could possibly try to place inside of it.

Rounding the corner to the central hub of Castle Town, Link stopped. Ryla didn't notice, forcing Link to grab her arm to halt her.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Hyrulean Knights."

Ryla beamed and stood closer to Link as they both watched a squad of 6 Hyrulean Knights pass by, each heavily armored and wielding a spear. Their leader stood in front, a tall brunette man wearing black possessing deep blue eyes much like Ryla's, as well as wearing a black headband to keep his hair out of his eyes. (2)

The man noticed Ryla looking at all of them so gleefully, and as such halted his group.

"At ease, men."

The 5 soldiers relaxed, yet stayed in the same place.

"Is this your first time in Hyrule, young one?"

"Y-Yes it is! My brother told me so much about it here!"

"Oh, really? Like what?"

Ryla smiled even wider, very happy that she was having conversation with a high-ranking Hyrulean officer during her very first visit to the capitol.

"He said that out of every place he's ever visited, none of them have ever lessened his love for Hyrule."

"Is this your brother?" the man asked, gesturing to Link.

"Yes, this is my older brother, Link!"

She shoved him forward, prompting him to give her a slight glare before turning towards the commander.

"It's very nice to meet a Son of Hyrule like you, Link. My name is Sebastian, Hyrulean General, Third-in-Command of the Hylian Royal Army."

He held out his hand to Link, who gladly shook it.

"I'm afraid that I don't have the same kind of introduction as you, Sebastian. But it's a pleasure to meet you nonetheless."

Sebastian smiled, releasing Link's hand.

"I like you. You know, the Hyrulean Army is always accepting new recruits. We could always use one with a heart like you."

Link nodded, a smirk on his face. "I might just have to take you up on that. But until then, it was nice to meet you, Sebastian.

Sebastian grinned as he turned back to his squad. "Company, ready!"

The five soldiers stood in attention, waiting for their general's next command.

"Forward march!"

As the soldiers passed by Link and Ryla, they nodded, with Ryla waving and Link returning the nod.

"Well, it wasn't the princess, but we did get to meet a Hylian General. That's always nice!"

"And you got a job offer! You'd be a great recruit, Link, especially considering all of your experience as a hunter." Ryla said the last part very quietly so that Link was the only one who could hear her.

"True, but they usually only accept recruits when they turn 21."

Ryla nodded in understanding. "Anyway, let's see what else we can do! I'm sure we can find a shooting booth that we can try!"

Link pat her back, smiling. "That would actually be really fun right now. I'm sure I can teach you how to shoot."

Ryla nodded, looking around to find a booth, and sure enough, there was an archery booth in the central plaza.

"Hey, I found one!"

Ryla nearly dragged Link to the booth, dropping him as she reached the attraction.

"Hey there, little lady. How 'bout you and your boyfriend try your hand at my little game here! It costs 10 Rupees to play, and the grand prize is 50 Rupees! All you have to do is use this bow," he held a bow out to Ryla as Link stood, as well as a few arrows. "And hit all 10 targets. Are you up for it?"

Ryla turned to Link, who placed 10 Rupees on the table.

"She'll go first. She's been itching to learn how to shoot. Oh, and we're siblings."

"Heh, sorry about that. You can never be sure, am I right? Anyway, step right up and hit all 10 targets!"

Ryla put the arrow to the bowstring, pulled back, and released, missing the target she was aiming for by a hair.

"Aw, darn it."

Link stood beside her and shadowed holding a bow.

"Here, you have to compensate for wind and drop, and since there isn't much wind today, you have to focus a bit more on making sure that the arrow doesn't hit the ground before it hits the target. And since there's no wind, you just have to aim slightly above the bulls-eye. Alright?"

Ryla nodded, her tongue popping out of her mouth in concentration as she did as he said, raising her finger to point at the bulls-eye, then moving slightly up. She released, and as Link had said, it hit the target.

"One down, nine to go!"

The rest went in the same pattern, a miss to gauge the shot, and a second to hit, giving Ryla a final score of 7.

"Aw, better luck next time, kid."

Ryla pouted, but turned to Link.

"Come on, Brother, win our money back."

Link gave her a look, then placed another 10 Rupees in front of the booth operator, who in turn gave Link 15 arrows.

"You know the rules, right? Just hit all 10 targets. Whenever you're ready!"

Without hesitation, Link raised the bow and let fly an arrow, embedding it straight in the center of a target.

"One down, Nine to g-"

Before the man continued, Link placed two more arrows into the bulls-eyes of two more targets, keeping pace with the remaining seven. The booth operator could barely fit a word in between the 'thunks' of arrows as they flew from bow to target, hitting the center each time.

"O-One target left!"

Link watched closely, taking his time. The last target was set to move, making random movements.

But to Link, there was a pattern.

Every few seconds, the target would switch into one of 3 patterns; moving erratically back and forth, moving in a triangular pattern, occasionally switching direction, and moving slowly only to quickly speed up in order to throw off those who thought they could score an easy win.

Taking a deep breath, Link let fly the arrow, and it struck true, hitting the target dead center.

"We have a winner!"

Link lowered the bow and placed it down on the table, along with the extra five arrows. In other words, he didn't miss a shot.

"And for our winner, we have the grand prize of 50 Rupees! Here you are."

Link gladly accepted the 50 Rupees, placing it in his wallet.

"Hope you come back! I always enjoy new challengers, and returning customers even more!"

Link waved farewell to the man as he and Ryla left, Ryla still impressed by Link.

"How do I live with you for 16 years and not realize how good of an archer you are?"

"Because, I don't want too many people to know. If I seem like a typical villager, then they're less likely to connect me to the Hooded Demon."

"Oh, right."

They continued to walk until Link noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

Quickly grabbing Ryla and covering her mouth, he quietly brought her into an alley, where she pried his hand off of her mouth.

"What are you doing?!"

"Shh!"

"Hey, don't tell me to be quiet right now, Li-"

"Shh! I'm not kidding around!"

Ryla's eyes grew wide, as Link only acted like this when they were in danger.

"What's going on?" she asked in a panicked whisper.

"Some of the gang mates of Atlas Fang are out there."

"So? You had the hood."

"I told you, one of them saw my face. And the one that did is one of the ones out there. We'll have to run. I don't have any weapons, and I can't risk your safety."

Sure enough, as she checked from the alley, she saw several armed men walking around town with a sketch of Link asking if they had seen him.

"We'll have to take the back alleys. They're where I take my bounty targets in from so that the townspeople don't see me."

"What about Epona?"

"Her hitching is loose. I don't like keeping her tied up, so when we're out of town, I can whistle and she'll be there in a second."

Link quietly led Ryla through the back alleys of Castle Town, eager to get her out of there as soon as possible. The men looking for him were part of one of Hyrule's most powerful gangs, the Fang Syndicate. Their leader, Esteban Fang, was a very dangerous man, and had an absurd bounty of 200,000 Rupees. The main reason he never heard of him getting captured was because of his guard, a staggering 1,000 armed men that rivaled the princess's own Royal Guard, and Zelda's guard has an unknown warrior heading them.

Finding a crack in the wall, Link instructed Ryla to crawl through as he watched to make sure no one found them. After both were through the cleft, they ran a while until Link felt they were out of sight. Bringing his fingers to his lips, Link let loose a very loud whistle, hearing a distinctive neigh in response.

He smiled when he saw Epona rounding the corner, but that smile quickly turned into a frown of shock.

"Miss us, you little brat?"

OOO

The group of Fang members were searching, in vain, to find that little brat who put a gash in the apparent leader's arm.

"Geoffrey, do we really have to go through all of this trouble? You said it yourself, he looked 17, what's a kid going to do about us?"

"Before we knew he was 17, he was just the Hooded Demon. And we can all agree that the Hooded Demon is a huge threat to Esteban. Him being 17 doesn't change a damn thing," replied Geoffrey, the leader of the small band of gangsters.

"Well... That's fair."

Geoffery kept thinking to himself what would make sense for the Demon to do. He did remember him carrying weapons, so maybe an armorer? No, that would be too obvious... He had a bow... Wait, a bow!

"Alright, guys, look around fora anything to do with archery! The little shit had a bow!"

Two of them immediately found the shooting booth Link had participated at, and made their way to the owner with the sketch of Link.

"Hey, you, have you seen this guy?"

"N-No, I can't s-say that I have..."

"No? Are you sure? Maybe this will jog your memory."

Drawing steel and pointing it at the man's neck, he held up his arms in defeat.

"P-Please, no! I'll tell you anything you want, just please don't kill me! I have a wife and kids who depend on me!"

"Well, I'd hate to break up a family, but..."

He pressed the tip to the man's neck, drawing blood.

"I don't have all day, so tell me if you've seen the fucking kid or not!"

"H-H-He came here a few minutes ago with his sister to play my game, that kid in the sketch!"

"Well, where'd he go?"

"I don't know! I had another customer right after him, but I know where his horse is!"

"His horse, huh?" said the man as he sheathed his sword. "Well, where is it?"

"It's hitched up over by the bar."

The two men looked, and sure enough, it was the same horse, but with a different saddle.

"It looks like today isn't your day. But, I do need cash. Give me what you've got and you'll see your family tonight."

The booth owner quickly handed over everything he made that day in fear, getting a laugh out of the Fang members. They left and returned to Geoffrey, handing him the sketch.

"Yeah, the guy at the shooting booth saw him. He said that he left earlier, but that his horse was still here."

The man pointed at Epona, who sure enough, was the same horse that the Hooded Demon rode, only with a different saddle.

"Pffft. He thinks a different saddle would make me forget that damn horse."

Geoffrey and his comrades stopped and looked around when they all heard a loud whistle, then turned back to Epona when she undid her reigns from the hitching post, galloping away.

"Hey, follow it! It may be going back to its good-for-nothing master!"

The Fang members chased Epona down from a distance in order to follow her without startling her, eventually being led outside of Castle Town.

And right to Link.

"Miss us, you little brat?"

Link gritted his teeth, looking around to see the men from the Fang Syndicate drawing their weapons.

"Damn it, I don't have any of my weapons on me."

The men continued their approach, Geoffrey taking a few practice swings with his blade.

"Oh, you're gonna get it, you little piece of shit. So, what do you want to loose first? An arm? Or maybe a leg? Oh, the tension here is palpable!"

Epona finally made it to Link, who had an idea.

"Ryla, take Epona home. I'll hold them off."

"No, I'm not going to leave you here!"

"Damn it, Ryla, there's not a choice! Take her and go! I'll be fine."

"You have to promise Link. Promise me you're coming back home."

"I... Promise. Now go!"

Ryla reluctantly mounted Epona and began to ride off, but she was cut off by a few Fang members.

"Come here, girly! I haven't had a woman in a while!"

Ryla kicked him in the face from on Epona, though she was basically thrown off by another. After the man wiped the blood from his face, he pinned Ryla down.

"Hehehe... I like my women feisty..."

Link was about to charge the man to get him off of his sister, but he had to focus on Geoffrey, who was taking wild swings at Link. Link was narrowly dodging each swing, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

"I knew I saw Fang members!"

Link saw Sebastian out of the corner of his eye, along with the five other soldiers they had met in the plaza.

"Thank the Goddesses..."

As Geoffrey's attention was on Sebastian, Link spin-licked him in the side of the head and took his sword as he fell. Charging the man attempting to take his sister, he rammed him off of Ryla.

"Get away from my sister, you low-life trash."

The man was about to draw his sword, but he found the one Link took from Geoffrey pointed at his neck.

"I don't usually kill, but I have to, I will."

The man released the blade's handle, and Link took it, throwing it to the side.

Sebastian and his men quickly engaged the Fang members, and easily overpowered them due to formal training. Sebastian was even more skilled, and wielded a very unique sword which was long, thick, and black in color. (3)

One of Geoffrey's men got an idea, and grabbing something out of his pocket, he grabbed Ryla and held it to her throat.

Link was about to assist Sebastian, but stopped when he saw the man holding Ryla.

"Let her go!"

The man shook his head, pressing whatever he had against Ryla's neck.

"I can't say I'll do that. You see, what I have here is a very potent poison, and in a pretty big dose for a girl this young. Let me go, and she lives, but try anything funny, and she experiences the most painful death a Fang can offer."

Link gritted his teeth and stepped forwards, but the man stopped him.

"No no no, drop the sword."

Link did as he said, dropping his blade.

"You know what? All of you, drop 'em and toss 'em."

Sebastian and his men looked to Link, who's eyes pleaded for them to comply, and they did, discarding their weapon.

"Now, I'm gonna let her go. But don't think that right after I do she'll be safe. I can throw these things with some accuracy, so as long as she's in sight, she's in danger."

Link nodded, seething in rage.

The man smirked, shoved Ryla into Link, and ran. One of Sebastian's men wasn't feeling too generous, and lifted a throwing knife off of Geoffrey's unconscious body, and threw it as hard as he could at the man, the dagger sinking into his back like butter. He turned, still able to move regardless of the knife in his spine, and threw the poison coated weapon at Ryla, grazing her shoulder. Shortly after, the man fell, the knife taking its toll.

"RYLA!"

Link ran to her, quickly checking her shoulder, then turned to the soldier who threw the knife.

"The poison's in her arm! I swear, if I lose my sister because you didn't want to let a criminal run free, the entirety of the Hyrulean Military won't keep me from killing you!"

He tried to throw himself at the man, but two of Sebastian's men restrained him.

"I understand your rage, but murdering a soldier won't quell it," said Sebastian before turning to the soldier who threw the knife.

"And you. You've just endangered the life of a citizen, and that is inexcusable. I, General Sebastian, hereby relieve you of duty. Remove your helm."

The man reached up to his helm, but quickly struck Sebastian in the face, and began running.

Sebastian went relatively unfazed by the attack, reached down and grabbed his sword, and threw it as hard as he could at the traitor, the massive weapon shearing through both the man and his armor.

Sebastian rubbed his face. "He strikes like a child."

The other 4 soldiers ran to the fallen man, and removing his helmet, were startled.

"Sir, this is... empty."

"What? That's impossible."

"No, sir, this suit is empty, the blade has blood on it, but the suit has no man nor woman inside," replied the soldier.

"By the Goddesses, this must be sorcery. It takes powerful magic to animate armor. But whoever he is, he likely wanted the girl dead."

Link looked down at the suit of armor before kicking it.

"I don't care if there's no one in there, I'm still angry."

Sebastian nodded and turned to his men.

"No one is to know of this."

They nodded, and returned to the town carrying the remaining Fang members. Sebastian turned to Link, and gestured to Ryla.

"You'll need to get her to a doctor fast. Fang member's poisons are extremely deadly, and if she weren't to receive treatment..."

"I get it. There's one in town, right?"

"Yes, now hurry. I will escort you there, as her condition is partially my fault."

"Thank you , Sebastian. I just want to save my sister."

* * *

 **Dun dun DUUUN! Don't you guys just hate when everything seems to be going well, and then there's that guy who's like, "Hey, wouldn't it suck if someone the main character loved got poisoned? Not for me." But anyway, I have a few points to go over today.**

 **(1) Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollow Mask, recolored to match Link's clothing as the Hooded Demon.**

 **(2) Sebastian Steele returns. What? He's one of my favorite OCs.**

 **(3) A darknut sword, the one wielded by the miniboss from the Temple of Time.**

 **Chuck Norris grinds his coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his rage.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	3. Demon in Fire

**RYLA, NO! WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH FOR A OC I'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT FOR TWO FREAKING CHAPTERS?!**

 **The answer is quite simple. I really like the idea of Link having living relatives.**

 **Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Here's another chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Demon in Fire

"Sebastian, I must ask that you take her there."

Sebastian cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

Crossing his arms, Link continued. "I have things that need to be done in order to help my sister. I trust that you can handle her for the time being?"

Sebastian looked down at Ryla, who was beginning to grow weak. Her legs were shaking, and she looked pale.

"I'll take her there, I swear. She'll be safe with me."

Link nodded to the General before mounting Epona, urging her to an all-out sprint away from the capitol.

"Let's get you to see the doctor, shall we?"

Ryla nodded very weakly before coughing and falling into Sebastian, who easily caught the young girl.

"She's surprisingly light... but anyway, I must get to the doctor!"

Picking her up, the man ran through Castle Town to the doctor's office, who was located on the east side of the central plaza. Nearly hitting a man carrying several bags of... something, Sebastian finally made it to the doctor's.

"Doctor, are you here? I'm in need of assistance!"

"Oh great, another loud-mouth punk who thinks he gets treatment before everyone else."

Sebastian straightened himself as he watched the doctor walk out from behind the curtains used to block other patients' view of each other. The doctor was a small young man who wore glasses and a white coat who bore light blonde hair.

"Who do I have the honor of telling to go and shove it?"

"General Sebastian Steele, Third-in-Command of the Hyrulean Military."

The doctor was instantly bowing to Sebastian.

"P-Please forgive me! I've had a decent amount of folks trying to pull that recently... So, what can I do for you, General?"

"This girl has been poisoned, and I'm not sure if she'll make it. It was the poison used by members of the Fang Syndicate."

The doctor nodded, turning to a bed behind one of the curtains.

"Set her down there. I'll see if I have an antidote or any of the ingredients."

Sebastian said thank you and set Ryla down on the bad. Her health was degrading very fast. She was so pale at this point, she looked nearly white.

"Alright, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have most of the ingredients for the antidote. The bad news is that I still need one more thing to add," said the doctor after rounding the corner.

"And what might that be?"

Both Sebastian and the doctor turned to see a hooded figure walking in, wearing predominantly green and a threatening mask.

"T-The Hooded Demon?!" yelled the doctor.

"True, I am he."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the Demon. "Why are you here?"

The Demon turned his azure gaze at the General. "Her brother, Link, came to me in need. Say what you will about me, but I do what I can for the Hyrulean people."

The Hooded Demon turned back to the doctor. "Whatever the final ingredient is, let me know and I'll see if I cannot find it."

"Before you go," began Sebastian, "I must ask why you are so eager to help this girl. What has she done for you?"

"There are things which I cannot explain now... But someday you may learn. Regardless of my involvement, what do you need in order to save the girl?"

"I have everything I need to make an antidote for her but one thing. It is mostly located around Death Mountain, a special mineral found in one of the Gorons' main food sources, 'Rock Sirloin' I think."

The Demon nodded and turned to the door. "How long do I have?"

"A few hours, at best. The Fangs don't mess around, and this is some powerful stuff."

The Demon opened the door, but stopped. "If I don't make it, tell her that her brother loves her. Tell her that she is his everything."

Sebastian nodded to the Demon, who then left, the door slammed shut behind him.

"May the Goddesses be with him in his quest."

OOO

Link removed his mask, as even though it was a very helpful piece of equipment, it got a bit hot, and he was currently heading to the hottest place in Hyrule.

The volcanic home of the Gorons, Death Mountain.

Oh yeah, did I mention that it was active?

Link allowed Epona to slow a little, as he didn't want to push her too hard. If he had to go on foot, he would never make it in time to save Ryla, and he couldn't live with being the sole reason that he lost his sister.

"I have to hurry. If she dies then... what would I do?"

Riding over the bridge on his way to Death Mountain, Link couldn't help but look into the abyss. It was supposed to be one of the furthest drops in Hyrule.

"Do not want to know what would happen if I fell."

Link shook his head and looked forward, seeing the sign to Kakariko Village, the settlement at the base of Death Mountain. The village was said to have great ties to the rocky natives of the volcano, the Gorons, a proud race of stone-eaters far stronger than any man could ever hope to be. If he was to find a sample of Rock Sirloin, his best bet was either Kakariko natives or Gorons from up the mountain.

Placing his mask back over his face and putting up his hood, he entered the village. Townsfolk turned to see the bounty hunter and went inside, as bounty hunters usually followed trouble, or caused it.

"I'm here to speak to the village elder, or whoever runs the village."

One large building opened revealing a tanned man with long hair wearing decidedly odd clothing step forward.

"My name is Remono, and I am the village shaman. What brings you here, Bounty Hunter?"

"I've been tasked with retrieving a sample of Rock Sirloin as there is a special mineral contained within it useful in countering poisons. Other than the mountain, is there anywhere else that I could find some?"

"There is usually a Goron merchant at the base of the mountain who sells rare Goron treats such as Rock Sirloin. I would advise checking his shop."

Link nodded, easing Epona into a simple walk.

"Oh, but before you leave, I must warn you of something."

Link stopped and turned back to Remono. "What is it? I don't have much time."

"The Gorons have recently found trouble in finding large sources of Rock Sirloin, so finding it cheap is unlikely. Also, due to their favorite food being hard to find, they have become decidedly angry," said Remono.

"Thank you. Now, I'll be on my way."

Link faced back towards the path to Death Mountain and kept Epona going. He let go a breath, as he was getting really warm. Regardless, it wasn't too bad. He'd gotten use to the heat and could wear the Demon's clothing for days on end.

Link found himself in front of a large metal grate leading further up the Death Mountain Trail. Looking around, he saw that the merchant must have been further down the trail, as he wasn't at the beginning of the trail.

"Sorry, Epona, but I guess that I have to leave you here. I'll be back soon enough, alright?"

Epona whinnied as Link dismounted and faced the grate. He saw that there was a rusted ladder to the side, but it was broken, so he wasn't using that. The grating itself seemed sturdy, and it seemed significantly cleaner.

Climbing up the grate, he began walking further down the trail. He noticed that there were several trails left by what seemed to be huge pieces of stone rolling down, so he assumed that he was going the right way. He kept going, and eventually the mountain itself came into view. Death Mountain, obviously due to its name, was a large volcano that served as the home to the Gorons, a race of stone eaters made of the very same material. Looking closely, Link saw a small shop operated by an elderly-looking Goron, and to the side was a small pile of stones.

"Looks like I've found it."

Link stepped forward, and quickly realized that he was standing on a ledge. Hopping down, he made his way to the shop, and addressed the merchant.

"I'm in need of something special."

"The Hooded Demon, huh? Rare to see such a famous face around here." The Goron looked Link up and down for a moment. "Or rather, mask. Hehehe."

"Do you happen to have Rock Sirloin?"

"Whew, been a while since someone asked for that. Why does a human want Rock Sirloin?"

"There's a mineral within it that can be used to save the life of a 16 year-old girl."

"Alright, I'll give you some," replied the Goron merchant. "However, I'll need something in return."

Link narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. "What's your price?"

"500 Rupees is my usual price for a pound, but for you and that girl, I'll make a deal. 100 Rupees, and..."

"And what?" Link asked intimidatingly.

"I get to see your face."

Link made what could best be described as a growling sounds and he lowered his hood.

"If I found out that anyone else learns of my identity, then you're dead."

"I'd say that seems fair," replied the Goron.

Link looked around to make sure no one was looking, and once he decided that the coast was clear, he removed his mask and looked the Goron in the eyes, and the Goron smiled.

"Know what? Just take the stuff. I know you must be serious about this girl if you're willing to risk your identity and your safety for her."

Link put back on his mask and his hood, grabbed the Rock Sirloin, and thanked the Goron.

"I am in your debt."

Link ran back to Epona as the Goron released a pent up breath.

"By the Goddesses, he's the spitting image of the Hero of the Gorons. Is it time for the next Hero already? It's only been 300 years since the Hero of Twilight... Goddesses help us if that was truly the next Hero."

OOO

Ryla wasn't doing very well. Her skin had nearly turned pure white, her eyes were bloodshot, her breathing was erratic, and she couldn't move without it causing immense pain.

"Poor girl. The Hyrulean Army has the power to protect an entire country from invaders, but not the power to save a single girl. If it weren't for that damned man, she'd be home safe with her brother. Her brother must be devastated," said Sebastian.

"I imagine so," replied the doctor. "But it's the Hooded Demon we're talking about. He's never never failed a job. This shouldn't be any different... Right?"

"I pray to the Goddesses that it won't be."

Closing his eyes and clasping his hands together, Sebastian gave a small prayer for Ryla.

"Oh great Goddesses, creators of our world, I beg of you to save this girl. Din of Power, please give her the strength she needs to live. Nayru of Wisdom, please guide her through this ordeal. And Farore of Courage, please grant her the courage to make it back despite the fear."

Opening his eyes, he saw that the Hooded Demon was sitting in a chair across from him.

"You truly do want to see her survive. I commend you, General."

"Y-You've returned! Did you get the final ingredient?"

The Hooded Demon reached into his pouch and pulled out a large stone, then handing it to Sebastian, who in turn handed it to the doctor.

"Yes, this is what I needed! I'll be right back."

Sebastian sat there and looked at the Hooded Demon in interest. He merely sat there and waited for the doctor to return, tapping his foot on the floor, and also seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's on your mind, Hunter?"

The Hooded Demon looked at Sebastian with azure eyes he could have sworn he'd seen before, but quickly closed them.

"I simply fear I took too long to find the last ingredient. When I take up jobs, I find that I usually grow... attached to them. I've found that I've grown to care for this girl. Besides, from what the boy, Link told me, this is partially my fault," said the Demon.

"By what do you mean?"

"One of the Fang members mistook him for me, and you saw what that had caused. This girl is dying. And all because I decided to get cocky one day."

He slammed his fist down on the armrest of the chair, cracking it.

"I hate it even when unrelated innocents die, but when it is caused but my actions... I don't know how I can still live with myself."

Sebastian remained quiet. The Demon just opened up to him in a way, which is unheard of.

"It is still welcoming to hear that you care for the Hylian people, bounty hunter or no."

The Demon scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "No matter how much I care, I cannot save them all."

Sebastian was about to respond, but the doctor quickly returned with a syringe containing a comfortingly large amount of antidote.

"Here, it's done."

Sebastian nodded and stood, moving his chair so that the doctor had more room.

"Now, if we inject this in the same spot that the poison was, it will take effect on the area that is suffering the most from the toxins first."

He wiped clean the wound that the man had left on Ryla and inserted the needle, slowly introducing the antidote into her bloodstream so as not to overwhelm her.

"...And, there. That's all of it. She should be fine soon enough, but I'd advise keeping her here for a little while longer so that I can keep an eye on her. to make sure that the antidote's working."

Sebastian nodded gratefully and returned to his chair.

"I should probably send for a unit to guard the doors. If the Fangs still think that Link is you, Demon, then they still think that Ryla here is your sister."

The Demon nodded in response, standing. "I could head down to the garrison, though I'd need a written order from you to make it official."

Sebastian grabbed a piece of paper and wrote formal orders, giving them his insignia, which the Demon noticed was a more intricate Hylian Crest, and his signature.

"This will get you through the doors and two soldiers. I'd suggest Tiberius as one of them, as he's quite seasoned."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The Demon left the doctor's office and began walking towards the castle. In all honesty, this would be the first time Link would be within the castle walls themselves.

Approaching the gates, the soldiers formed an X with their lances, blocking Link's path.

"Bounty hunter or no, civilians are not allowed within castle walls."

"I have written orders from General Sebastian to let me through."

Before the men could question Link, he showed them the paper Sebastian had given him.

"It's real. Look, signature and crest. Alright, you may enter."

Link nodded to them and walked through the gates that the guards were kind enough to open for him. Making his way to the garrison, he knocked on the door. As he waited, he felt something plop onto his hood. Link held out his out his hand to find that it was beginning to rain, so he knew to keep the orders dry.

The door opened to reveal a large man wearing a blue tunic sporting long black hair that was slicked back, as well as a full beard with an additional scar over the bridge of his nose.

"Who are you? How'd you get in?"

"I have written orders from General Sebastian. A girl by the name of Ryla was poisoned under the pretense that I was her brother. Sebastian has requested two soldiers to guard her, as he finds himself at fault as well. And he recommended I ask for Tiberius. Where might he be?"

"Tiberius, huh? Guess it must be real if he asked for me."

"Wait, you are Tiberius?"

"Lieutenant General Tiberius Clark, at your service. I'm ranked 4th highest in the Hyrulean Military. I'll get another guy to come with," said Tiberius while offering a casual salute. He stepped aside letting Link in, where he looked around. The garrison was rather simple, being a single floor with beds lining the walls to support the soldiers, and Link saw tons of weapons scattered around. Considering its size, this must have been the royal military, as such a small building couldn't possibly hold all of Hyrule's soldiers.

"Yeah, we never really keep this place very clean, if at all. Now, Troy! Get up here!"

A young-looking man baring black hair and silver eyes was shook awake, who walked up to Tiberius, yawning.

"Apologies, Sir, but could you repeat that? I was resting."

"Troy, get your equipment on. Sebastian apparently requested me and someone else to guard this girl," replied Tiberius.

"Well, what's the Hooded Demon doing here?"

Tiberius actually took a moment to look at Link, who merely crossed his arms as he was inspected.

"Oh, I guess that you're right. He is the Hooded Demon. Regardless of who we're working with, go get all of your equipment, we're heading out soon."

Link rolled his eyes. Tiberius was rather... immature for his taste. At least for his Demon persona.

Troy yawned again and returned to his bed, grabbing a decent amount of equipment. He grabbed silvery-black armor that seemed to be light due to the way it was just thrown on, and it bore pauldrons with marks that identified him as a higher rank. Grabbing an additional sword that matched his armor and what Link identified as a silver-black Hylian Shield, Troy made his way back in front of Link.

"Second Lieutenant Troy Aslan, at your service."

"Troy, while I get my equipment, keep our guest occupied."

As Tiberius left, Troy gave a tired nod and turned to Link.

"So... The Hooded Demon, huh? What brings a bounty hunter like you here?"

"A job. Nothing more," Link replied coldly. "Tiberius, hurry yourself. Your Lieutenant is boring me."

"Hey. Just because I'm not your idea of fun doesn't mean you can be rude."

"As you're here trying to make small talk, a 16 year-old girl is in danger of being assassinated. Forgive me if I'm not in the best of moods."

Troy backed off, not wanting to cross the hunter any further.

Tiberius shook his head. "Not nice, Demon. We all have problems. Don't try to shove your down our throats like they take priority."

Tiberius then continued to equip his armor, which just ended up being leather chest and torso armor, as well as gold-rimmed blue armor upon his left arm and legs, and a red cape that bore the Hyrulian Crest of a red bird spreading its wings to fly. He also put several straps on, one around his waist and one over his chest like Link's to keep his sword. (1) The Lieutenant General then grabbed three weapons, a decently large broadsword, gold in color, with a black handle, a large double-sided ax, and a longbow. (2) Sheathing each of the weapons, he turned back to Link.

"Alright, let's head back to the General's location. He's likely been waiting for a while."

Link nodded and headed out of the barracks, Tiberius and Troy following closely after.

"So, wanna tells us what all went down? I want to know why we're guarding this girl."

"From what her brother, Link, told me, after a day of what they called fun, they were assaulted by a large group of Fangs. One Fang was killed, while the rest were imprisoned. In said Fang's last breaths, he managed to poison the girl. Sebastian failed to protect her, and as such finds himself at fault as well. Does this make sense so far?" Link explained.

Both Tiberius and Troy nodded, so Link continued.

"Sebastian concluded that if the Fangs still thought that I was the girl's brother, then it would be likely more than one attempt on her life would be made. So that led to him asking me to ask for the help of you two. That's why you two are going to be guarding," finished Link, rounding the corner to the doctor's. "Alright, it looks like we've arrived."

Link walked in and passed Sebastian, moving his seat next to Ryla.

"Ah, Demon, you're back. Did you get the guards?"

"Yes, Tiberius and Troy, as you requested."

"Wonderful! Those two alone should be able to fend off a group of twenty Fangs at least! She should be safe now."

Link turned back to Ryla, who definitely looked better. She had regained some color, her breathing was even, and she didn't appear to be in any pain.

Stroking a few rogue strands of hair out of her face, which caused a small smile to grace her features.

"I pray to the Goddesses that she will be."

* * *

 **Okay, chapter three looks good! Now, I wanna say that the games I recently got for my birthday are GREAT! Being the game freak that I am, I already beat them both. I beat Asura's Wrath in like one day, and I've almost 100% Majora's Mask 3D (I've already got the Fierce Deity's Mask... Good God that thing is unfairly overpowered. Odolwa, Goht, AND Gyorg/George can't do anything! But Twinmold has the edge in speed. That's why I Giant's Mask the crap out of him. Link also has newfound respect by having ridiculous wrestling moves. #MachoManLink). Anyway, enough about my life, let's talk about the chapter.**

 **(1) Tiberius wears the same clothing as Ike from Fire Emblem, the clothing he chooses to wear to Smash Bros.**

 **(2) He also wields Ragnell, Urvan, and an unnamed longbow. Yay for Tiberius and his fondness for heavy weapons!**

 **Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing them faster than Death can process them.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	4. Marze

**Alright, I'm happy how fast this one's getting read! Thank you, everyone! Without further ado, I give you chapter 4!**

 **However, it is with a heavy heart that I inform those of you who do not already know, that Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, has passed. He is a man who helped make many people's childhoods, and he will be greatly missed.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Marze

Sebastian didn't notice Link's true concern for Ryla, so he merely nodded.

"You need to trust us, Demon. We'll keep her safe."

"That's what you said before she was poisoned," Link replied.

"Yes, I di- Wait. You weren't there. How could you know what I said?"

Link's eyes widened, but Sebastian didn't see. Link had said something he shouldn't have. If Sebastian thought it through, he would connect the two, and possibly discover they're the same person.

"I have my ways, Sebastian. You might learn them one day, but for now, they must remain secret."

Sebastian sat back in his chair. "The boy told you, didn't he?"

Link merely stood up straight. "If you wish to pry into my personal life, you my find things that you do not enjoy. Enough of this conversation."

However, Sebastian did not falter. "I have a good feeling about that boy, Link. He seems like he would be a great recruit, and that he would accomplish great things in his life. Plus, I noticed something about him."

"And what's that?" asked Link.

"He bears a resemblance to someone... very important to our history. The history of Hyrule itself," replied Sebastian. "He is nearly identical to the Heroes of Legend that have lived throughout our history."

Link gasped loud enough for Sebastian to hear, causing the general to question him. "You didn't notice? Surely you must have seen his face if he came to you for help."

Link was at a loss for words. Did... Did he really look like the famed Heroes he and his sister read all about?

"It just... never crossed my mind. B-But now that you mention it, he does look like him..." Link said shakily, trying not to say anything that would give him away.

"I can only imagine why someone like him is around in our time. Perhaps he truly is the Hero reincarnated? If so, then that means our world could be in danger. The Hero doesn't simply return. He is born to stand in the face of evil."

It took all of Link's willpower to keep from fainting right then and there. Could he truly be the next Hero?

"But, I'm assuming too much. He could just be a look alike, and this is all just a misunderstanding."

Link nodded, still not having turned back to Sebastian. Truth be told, Link was sweating pretty bad from how nervous he was. If he were the next Hero...

He was freed from his thoughts as Ryla began to stir. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but Link held her down gently.

"No, lie down. You still need your rest."

"Yes, Brother."

Link's eyes widened greatly as he heard Sebastian shift around in his chair to get closer, Ryla realizing she said something she shouldn't have.

"Did she just call you brother?"

"S-She must be dizzy still and mistook me for Link! Yes, that's it, she still needs to rest!"

Sebastian stood and approached Link, who turned around slowly.

"Lower your hood and remove your mask, Demon."

"No," Link replied adamantly. However, Sebastian kept his resolve.

"I said to lower. Your. Hood."

Link knew he was at a terrible disadvantage. Even if he did manage to run, two more soldiers stood outside that could catch him even if Sebastian couldn't.

Begrudgingly, Link lowered his hood and took off his mask, but looked at the floor.

"Now, look at me."

Link gritted his teeth and made eye contact with Sebastian, who visibly tensed up.

"By the Goddesses, Link. Is this how you've been living your life? Making your sister worry while you are out risking your life for money? What do your parents think? If they even know, that is," Sebastian asked worriedly.

"Why do you think I'm a bounty hunter, Sebastian?! Our parents died when we were young ten years ago. I couldn't just let my sister and myself starve, so I became a thief, later becoming a bounty hunter. I wish I didn't have to fight to keep her safe, but if I must, then I must! Her safety takes precedence over my own, General. I'd gladly lay down my life if it meant she could live a full one without the burden of worrying if she'd get to eat the next day, or whether or not she'd have a bed that night. _That_ is why I'm a bounty hunter. Not for the money, but for her. If you don't understand that, then Goddesses help you," Link replied coldly.

Sebastian shook his head. "I wish there was another way."

Link scoffed and turned back to Ryla. "Wish all you want, this is it. I should know. I've tried too many times before I lost count, and then I kept wishing." Tears were in his eyes at that point. Ryla had listened as well, and she had begun to tear up as well. "However, if it is a burden I must carry for her, then I will carry it for as long as I can. Ryla, we're going home."

"Okay, Brother."

As she stood, she nearly fell, but Link caught her. Putting his hood back up and placing his mask over his face, he walked to the door with Ryla.

"For her sake, just leave us alone. Please."

Link left the doctor's office and whistled, bringing Epona to his location. Troy and Tiberius were about to ask what he was doing, but Sebastian stopped them.

"Let them go. We can't do anything more for them."

Sebastian merely watched as Link helped Ryla on Epona, him getting on right after her. Shortly after, he rode off, not intent on staying there any longer than he had to.

OOO

On his way back to Ordon, the village that he and Ryla lived, Link always rode through Hyrule Field. A vast landscape, it was not uncommon to encounter monsters on one's travels.

Today was no different.

Riding through, he was forced to introduce his blade to Bokoblins, stupid creatures that attack with wooden clubs. Of course, they were never alone. They lived together in small encampments, usually anywhere from 5 to 10. Steering away from several of said camps, he saw something... unusual off to the side, near the canyon. Slowing Epona, he told Ryla to stay there and unmounted, drawing his sword and readying his shield. He approached what appeared to be a group of Lizalfos, vicious lizard men who typically hunted alone, not willing to split their prey. But there were maybe three of them here, so he knew something was odd.

Acting quickly, he slashed one across the back, dodging back as the creature violently turned around with short sword in hand. After landing, he lept forward in a strong thrust that finished the beast off. The other two finally realized what was happening, turning to Link. One flicked its tongue out, getting his scent. He couldn't escape now, so there was no choice but to fight. Shield-bashing the next attack, he wheeled around his shield to slash at the offender, catching the Lizalfos in the chest, hindering it for now. The other was unfortunate enough to be standing behind the one just struck, and had the other fall into it. As they lay on the ground, Link took the chance to leap up and impale his blade into the healthy one, as it would have been harder to deal with. Flipping back as the second got up, he jumped up to bring his sword down in a powerful slash, ending the final creature's life.

"Hm. What could those things have been doing?"

"I don't know, but I think they wanted something to do with me."

Link turned around quickly to see a small being sitting on the ground in front of him.

"I've been looking for someone like you."

"What the- Who and what are you?"

The being laughed and took to the air, apparently being able to fly. "My name is Marze. I'm what you Hylians call a dragon, though I'm specifically a Stardrake. In other words, I'm a star dragon."

The dragon, Marze, landed on Link's shoulder, who was still a bit new to the idea of star dragons.

"You said you were looking for someone like me. What do you want?"

Marze smiled. "I need someone to save my world, and you seem like a great guy to do it."

"What?!"

Marze nodded. "I had guessed that you'd need more than 'save my world.' It's a long story, so get comfortable."

"I'm sorry, but we can't stick around for a story right now. My sister is in bad shape. I need to get her home. You can come along to tell me what you need, but not before I get her home. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, I have time," replied Marze.

Link made his way back to Epona, and mounting, continued on his way home, Stardrake in tow.

OOO

Link had gotten Ryla to bed with no further difficulties, and as such was free to hear Marze out. Sitting down in a chair in front of his fireplace, he called to the Stardrake, who was flying around the room.

"Alright, so what do you need of me?"

Marze ceased circling the room and landed on the floor in front of Link.

"I come from a peaceful kingdom, the Land of the Stars. We were led by a just king, the Star King. But, one day, we were attacked. Though it was merely six men, our entire army was outclassed. There was one who could upturn the very earth around him with sheer strength, one who could react to attacks as if he was the one who used them, one who could not be harmed by any attack thrown at him, one who just seemed to blend in with the shadows around him, a swordsman of unparalleled caliber with an... _interesting_ personality, and the leader, who simply called himself 'The Tyrannical God of the Stars.' He was by far the most powerful there, and managed to kill the king and steal his power. With his new found power, he managed to nearly wipe out the rest of the Star King's military, enslaving my people. I was sent here before everyone was subjugated or killed in order to find someone who could save my homeland. I found you."

"But, I'm only a man. What could I do against a God that an entire army was hopeless against?"

Marze laughed. "That's what the Heroes of Legend said before embarking on their quests. They doubted themselves, just like you are now. So, will you help a dying world? Will you become its Hero?"

Link rubbed his head in thought. Perhaps this was why he looked like the past Heroes. Maybe it was truly his destiny to save this world from chaos. That must have been what Sebastian meant.

"I'm sorry, but it's just... a lot to take in right now. For now, just stay with me. I should be able to give you a straight answer soon enough."

Marze nodded at the bounty hunter and took to the air again, being entirely content with flying around his new surroundings.

"I'll admit, you have a decently nice house. It could use more flying room, though."

Link rolled his eyes as he put away all of his equipment. "My house is suited to Hylians, not dragons. What did you expect?"

Marze simply grunted and kept flying as Link finished hanging his weapons above the fireplace. After doing so, he looked outside to see that it was getting dark.

"I might be going to sleep soon. You're free to stay as long as you need, but try not to break anything."

Link went upstairs and removed his cloak from his shoulders, then looked in Ryla's room to see if she was alright. To his relief, she had most of her normal color back and was sleeping peacefully. Link smiled and continued to his room, where he finally removed his armor and hung up his bow. Crawling into bed, he fell to sleep in moments, the day's activities taking their toll on the young bounty hunter.

OOO

When Link woke, he realized something. He realized that last night went without a nightmare.

"That's the first time in months I've gone without a nightmare," noted the bounty hunter before getting out of bed and donning a new shirt, green as per his favorite color. As he stood, he stretched, feeling a very satisfying 'pop', shortly afterwards leaving his room. Naturally, he stopped to check on Ryla. To his surprise, she wasn't in her bed, meaning she at least had enough of her strength left to leave her bed of he own accord. Taking a moment to set her bed for her, he noticed that her short sword wasn't on the rack he'd set up on the wall. Wasting no time in case she was in trouble, he grabbed an extra sword from his room. Not as finely crafted or honed as the main blade he uses, mind you, but still a fine weapon. Rushing downstairs, he saw something he didn't want.

He saw Ryla being held by the crime lord known only as Esteban Fang.

"Stupid kid. Geoffrey may have failed to off you, but I can do better; I can make you suffer even more before I kill you as painfully as possible."

Link held his sword to his side, ready to strike the moment he got the chance. However, Esteban laughed.

"Do you have any idea how bad of a decision that would be? My entire guard is standing outside right now. And you've hunted Fangs for a while now, so you should know that there's about 1,000 men outside. Kill me, and you'll find yourself lodged on the end of over a thousand swords, just like your sister here."

Drawing his own blade, he held it to Ryla's neck, drawing blood.

"Now, you managed to capture Atlas, as well as get nearly his entire squad captured or killed. And too bad for you, he was one of my favorite lapdogs. So, I lost someone I needed, so..." he trailed off, raising his blade so as to kill Ryla.

"I wouldn't if I were you, punk."

Esteban turned around, angered that he had been interrupted. Standing there was a man as tall as Link wearing a cloak obscuring his features.

"And why is that?"

"You kill her, and I kill you. Simple as that, you prick."

Esteban smirked and shook his head, gesturing outside.

"And then both you, the boy, and the girl will fall to a thousand blades. You people never think things through."

The cloaked man laughed before removing something from underneath his cloak.

The severed head of a Fang member.

Ryla screamed, and then began hyperventilating. She was withing a few feet of a dead body. Well, part of one at least.

"Like this guy? He definitely would have worked, dumbass."

Link furrowed his brow. This man sounded familiar. He didn't know where he had heard it before, but it gave his a deep sense of... dread.

Esteban seethed and swung at the newcomer, only for his sword to be cleaved in half by a silver-edged sword that to Link also seemed eerily familiar.

"Tch. Looks like _you_ people never learn. Neither will the thousand outside. Ever again."

Esteban looked horrified as the man explained. Angered beyond words, he threw Ryla to the floor, knocking her unconcious and lunged at the man with his broken blade.

And one to find the he had missed when the man dodged, impaling him in the process.

The man laughed and twisted his blade, spilling ever more of Esteban's blood on the floor.

"You could never hope to make a scratch on me. Now die, you insignificant piece of shit."

Spinning his sword to make the blade vertical, he cleaved upward through the crime lord's body and heart, ending his life without any form of effort.

Turning to Ryla, the man licked his blade clean of some of the blood.

"Now, the boss said to grab the girl... Alright then, if he wants her he gets her! But I might give her a try before I hand her over..."

Link realized then that this man wasn't here to help, and lept towards him with sword ready, only for him to be be sent crashing into the wall with a backhand of exceeding strength.

"Oh, don't you try it too. I'm just gonna grab the girl and then I'll leave."

Link stood, intent on getting rid of this man to protect Ryla.

"Let her... Go!"

Rushing in again, he slashed faster, effectively removing the man's cloak after splitting the clasp that held it shut in two. As it tumbled to the ground at the man's feet, Link gasped and stepped back.

This man was a nearly perfect copy of him with black hair and red eyes.

"Oh, damn it. I liked that cloak. Oh well, I can get another from the big man." He stopped to admire Link's reaction. "What, never looked in a mirror? Well, an evil mirror, I guess. Life is weird like that."

"Who are you?!" Link shouted, taking a step forward.

"Oh, me? My name's Link. Oh, that was your name too, wasn't it? Yeah, life's a real bitch."

Link's eyes widened and he took a step forward. He'd heard stories like this. The Heroes of the Past had fought copies of themselves that went by the name...

"You aren't Link. You're Dark Link."

The man, now identified as Dark Link, laughed. "Hehehe. Guilty as charged. But what can I say?"

Dark Link closed the distance in less than a second, staring Link down with those cold red eyes he had seen in his nightmares.

"Yep. It was Dark Link, readers! Anyway, I love doing this kind of thing. But, I can't kill you yet. Big man doesn't want it, not yet at least. But, doesn't mean I can't maim you!"

Before Link knew what was happening, he was thrown to his knees by Dark Link slamming him to the ground with the flat of his blade.

"Well. I thought that at least you'd be able to take more than just one hit. But, I can't hope for much of a fight from you right now. Anyway, I'm taking this bitch and leaving."

Dark Link grabbed Ryla's unconscious form, walking out the door, where Link finally noticed the bloody corpses of all 1,000 of Esteban's men before going unconscious, Dark Link's maniacal laugh resounding throughout Ordon, the terrified villagers met by a terrible fate...

* * *

 **Yeah, Dark Link tends to be like that. He's there to be a dick. And hey, fourth wall awareness! No one's ever seen that before!**

 **Deadpool: I beg to differ.**

 **Oh God, Deadpool, just stop. We don't need your sass right now.**

 **Dark Link: Seriously. One of us is enough.**

 **Deadpool: Oh screw you guys. I'd be perfect if you have twinkle toes here as a character.**

 **Dark Link: At least I fit with the genre, you fucking walking tumor.**

 **Okay, just wanna stop them before this becomes a stupid joke that has gone on too far.**

 **Marze belongs to Reclusive Dork. He was his idea. I'll always try to point out when something was his idea.**

 **Contrary to popular belief, there are actually three sides to the force: The light side, the dark side, and Chuck Norris.**

 **Until next time, OniHelix out!**


	5. Dawn of an Adventure

**Ah, Dark Link! Easily one of my favorite Zelda bosses ever! And hey, this time he can see through the fourth wall!**

 **Dark Link: I can see eeevvveeerrryyyttthhhiiinnnggg. And oh, Goddesses, do you people do some fucked up shit.**

 **Wait, you use Goddesses in place of God too?**

 **Dark Link: Yes? They're the reigning gods, so why the fuck not?**

 **Fair enough. But, enough of Dark Link for now. Chapter 5!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Dawn of an Adventure

"Hey... Hey, wake up! Wake up, buddy!"

Link finally woke to the sound of a voice nagging at him. He tried to sit up, but a powerful headache forced him to merely roll over in order to get his face off of the floor.

"Ugh... What happened...?" Link asked groggily, still unsure about anything that had happened earlier.

"You met Dark Link," said Marze, the one who had woken Link. "He was one of the generals I told you about. He, if you didn't already figure it out, was the interesting swordsman."

"Dark Link... Oh, no, he took Ryla!"

Link wasted no time in grabbing his best sword and shield from above the fireplace and grabbing his Demon clothing. Donning it all quickly, he ran outside, only to stop and fall to knees after witnessing what had just happened to his village.

The entirety of Ordon was engulfed in an unholy blaze of black flames.

"It's gone... It's all gone... My home, my friends, my sister, he took it all away by himself."

Link went back to his feet and donned his mask, basically growling at this point.

"I don't care what the odds are anymore, Marze. I'm taking up your offer to to this, but only to save my sister," stated Link, glaring angrily at what was left of his hometown.

The little dragon nodded, landing on Link's hood.

"I understand. My family was taken away by the Tyrannical God of the Stars. It looks like we both have something to fight for."

Link cracked his knuckles, whistling loudly. Epona made her way to him, as she had fled when the Fang Syndicate attacked.

"Let's go, girl. We need to get my sister back."

As Epona neighed, Marze blinked at the green-clad bounty hunter.

"B-But you can't try to match them now!"

"Watch me," replied Link before mounting his trusty mare, urging her into a gallop, the little Stardrake flying closely after.

"You'll die!"

Link merely grunted and kept riding.

"Link, you couldn't stop Dark Link, and he was alone. What makes you think you can beat all six of them at once?"

"I _know_ I can because they took Ryla. I need to protect her, I _live_ to protect her."

Marze, sighed, then thought of another point he could make.

"Weren't you protecting her before when you failed?"

Link slowed Epona, turning to Marze as she stopped, his pupils contracted threateningly.

"Repeat that?"

Marze knew he was getting somewhere, so he continued. "Yes, against just one of them with a driving force, you failed to save your sister. Against all five generals and a god, you have no chance."

Link turned back around and unmounted, walking a few meters from Epona before yelling violently and punching the ground in rage.

"You think I care how much of a chance I have?! My sister is all that I have left! I want her back, I _need_ her back!"

"And if you go and get yourself killed before you can, what then?" replied the dragon.

"I-!" I..." stuttered Link, realizing what Marze was saying. Dark Link did beat him at his best, and was both toying with him, and alone. What hope would he have against six god-like beings if they were going all-out?

"You're right, I'm sorry. I've just been protecting her for so long that it was the first thing I could think of doing."

Marze nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I get it. When my family was taken, revenge was the first thing on my mind as well."

Link straightened his back out and mounted Epona again. "Anyway, what do you suggest we do first?" asked Link. "We can't just sit back and wait around for what they plan to do next. If Dark Link found it necessary to come all the way out here to kidnap Ryla, then they must have plans for Hyrule."

"I'd say we should first find out what they plan on doing. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Maybe try to find out where Dark Link was heading next?"

"Sounds good," said Link, who was looking around for any clue as to where the dark doppelganger was heading. Morbidly enough, he found a trail of blood.

"Goddesses, is that man subtle or what?"

He urged Epona to a gallop, following the trail of blood. He needed leads to where this man was heading, and the path of blood seemed pretty solid at this point.

OOO

As he rode, Link couldn't help but think back to the black-clad swordsman. Beneath the rather intricate robe he wore to obscure his features, he wore what could be best described as a short, open tunic that revealed his reasonably muscular chest, white pants, and many straps holding up an intricate scabbard on his back that held a silver-bladed sword with a black handle that gave off a powerful red aura... It was a powerful weapon indeed, capable of reducing other blades to mere handles. Link didn't know, but the blade seemed very dark, very evil. His gauntlets were black and clawed, and they bore rubies on the back of his hands. But in terms of physical appearance... Dark Link was near identical to himself, aside from the red eyes and black hair. But he was, to say the least, absolutely psychotic. While Link himself was calm and collected, Dark Link was erratic and unpredictable. And on top of that, he was an absurdly skilled swordsman, being able to best over 1,000 men in rapid succession, the elite guard of Esteban Fang no less, afterwards beating Link and then laying waste to Ordon. He was a very dangerous opponent indeed, and there were four others with similar amounts of skill and power as well...

Link finished his mental analysis of his dark counterpart before returning his focus to the path ahead of him. The trail had run dry a short time ago, ending with the severed arm of someone who Link could safely say wasn't Ryla, as well as a few scraps of torn cloth with slight blood stains on them. This left Link and Marze with only one other option.

Faron Woods.

Faron Woods was long since abandoned by Hyrulians, forgotten by them centuries ago. Aside from Ordon which only has a single clearing made as a path to and from Hyrule proper, the entire area is densely covered in many types of flora. To the duo, it seemed like a good spot as a base of operations. It was secluded from the rest of the land by the heavy amounts of greenery, and other Hylians almost never tried to set foot within its territories. In truth, that left little of Faron Province to be settled, with the Capitol of Hyrule Castle being within Lanayru Province being where most of the population lived. Of course, Eldin Province was reasonably heavily populated, but due to larger amounts of heat and the nearby Death Mountain, it wasn't the favored land to settle. Cultures between the areas even varied between the Provinces slightly, Eldin Province having heavier accents than Lanayru, as well as different types of celebrations.

Back on topic, before Link was to head off to Faron Woods of all places, he needed to stock up on his supplies. For this, he usually headed to the Bounty Office on the west side of Hyrule Castle Town. It was set up many years ago, anywhere from 120 to 130 years, and has been a great asset to the Kingdom. Thanks to several civilians like Link, crime has been brought down greatly. However, monsters are still a threat, and only the most skilled hunters take monster jobs.

Pulling into Castle Town, he donned his mask and raised his hood, remaining extremely cautious. Someone working for Dark Link could be anywhere, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He left Epona at the gate and began walking towards west street where the Bounty Office was. Fun fact, the Bounty Office was buit over an old carnival game run by a man who decided to make it so hard that only the Hero of Twilight himself could even hope to complete it. Everyone grew so angry that they run the man out of town and tore down his business. Walking into the building, Link relaxed a little. Despite the rumors surrounding bounty hunters, most were actually very nice people, and it was very unlikely that he would be attacked here.

"Well, Hood's back! I'll be damned. How're you doin'?" shouted the man at the counter, a rather large man who Link knew well.

"I'm fine," Link replied. "How are you these days, Gerome? You weren't here when I dropped off Atlas."

The man, Gerome, rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Even those who work at the Bounty Office have to take days off every once in a while. So, what can I do for you? Do you have another criminal for us to hand over to the Military?"

"No, nothing like that," said Link, shaking his head. "I need some things for a trip."

"Oh, what kind of trip?" asked Gerome.

"Faron Woods," said the bounty hunter, his eyes never leaving Gerome's.

The large man was noticeably surprised. "Faron Woods? Don't you know what happens to people out there?"

"Yeah, yeah, most are never seen again, and those that are often are seen missing limbs upon return. Do you really think I care about that though?" Link replied, rolling his eyes.

Gerome sighed, as that kind of reaction from the Hooded Demon usually meant there was no telling him otherwise.

"Ugh, fine. What do you need?"

"I'm going to need maybe two or three red potions, a few hundred feet of my metal wiring, and my quiver topped off," replied the bounty hunter. "How much will it cost me?"

Gerome, closed his eyes to think about it. "Well, 40 per potion, 50 per hundred feet of wire, and 5 per bundle of ten arrows, okay? So three potions makes 120, 300 feet of wire makes maybe 150, your quiver holds around 50 arrows, and that's another 25, so in total 295 rupees. But, hunters around here get a 10% discount, so that drops the cost down to about 265 rupees."

"Great," replied Link, who quickly gave Gerome the 265 and turned to leave, but the hunter was stopped by Gerome, who was clearing his throat.

"Just don't get yourself killed out there, alright? You may not think it, but the folks 'round here care for you."

Link sighed and turned back around. "Before I leave, there is something I need to tell you. I've had a bad omen recently, like something bad is going to happen soon. Tell all of the hunters that they should be more cautious than usual. The same goes for you, Huntress."

Link was then speaking to a female hunter who was standing in the shadows of the room, spinning a dagger between her fingers.

This was the Huntress, a female bounty hunter wearing a black, gilded bodysuit, golden armor on her chest, knees, and elbows, bandaging on her lower arms and calves, and a hooded cloak of a dark blue color casting a shadow over her face that obscured her features much like Link's. However, she did not wear a mask. On her back was a very well-crafted longbow, and on her left leg was strapped an ornate short sword.

The Huntress was an extremely skilled bounty hunter, with 93 captures and 34 confirmed monster kills.

Link himself had 104 captures and 75 confirmed monster kills.

Link was in truth one of the most successful bounty hunters there was, but he did have more than 9 years of experience on his side. Yes, he had been bounty hunting since the age of 8. He was once a petty thief, to be honest, trained when he was a child to be a bounty hunter. However, the man who had trained once had taken a job in Faron Woods, and had never been seen again.

"You care too much for others. Why waste your time with them when you can fight to make your life so much better?" asked the Huntress.

"Because the reason I fight is in order to make other's lives better. I've made this clear too many times. Anyway, I'm off. It may be a while before I see any of you again," said Link before turning to leave the bounty office, but he was stopped by Gerome.

"Hey kid, I have something for you if you're really headed for Faron Woods... It's a bounty from a long time ago."

Link went back and grabbed a tattered sheet of paper from Gerome. He began reading it, and was surprised at its contents.

"This is a bounty... to find my old master..."

"When Kain went in there to try and stop a large monster reported by survivors who ventured in, he never came back out. His family was devastated and issued a bounty of 1,000 Rupees to get him back, even if it was just a memento of his old bounty hunting days. Even five years later, he has never been seen since. But you... You might have what it takes to bring Kain back to us," finished Gerome.

Link nodded and placed the bounty in his pouch. "I'll see what I can do. If I find anything, you'll be the first to find out."

Gerome nodded and waved him off as Link headed out the door and down the back alleys. Rounding the corner, he saw a few thugs trying to climb into a window to steal whatever was inside, but he wasn't having any of that.

"You both realize you're about a block from the bounty office, right?"

The thug closest to the ground lept off the wall and drew a knife, aiming it with surprising confidence.

"Get out of here, kid. We don't want anyone getting hurt. Doesn't mean we won't let 'em, though."

Link sighed and shook his head as he drew his sword, walking out of the shadows of the alleyway. As he stood into the light, the confidence the man had faded into fear.

"We gotta run, Cassius! This guy's the Hooded Demon!"

The one still clinging to the wall, Cassius, looked at Link in fear and jumped off the wall, hitting his partner on the way down.

"Goddesses, I don't have time for this. Hurry up and follow me back to the bounty office and you'll keep all of your blood."

"Leave them to me, 'Hood," said a new voice. Link was familiar with the voice and grunted. Link watched as the Huntress scaled the wall down to the ground quickly and elegantly, aiming her longbow at the street thugs.

"I do have spare time. So get out of here, 'Hero.' I'll get them back to Gerome. No promises regarding condition, though," said the Huntress before letting fly an arrow into the knife-wielder's thy. Link nodded to her and she in return nodded back as he turned heel and began walking back to Epona. Once he arrived to his trusty mare, she neighed in greeting. Grabbing an apple from her pack, he fed it to her and saddled in.

"Alright, Epona, we're headed to Faron Woods. We might be able to find some clues to Dark Link's position out there."

Marze glided in from a nearby tree, landing on Link's shoulder. "Then let's get going. Any lead we get is a good one."

"And While we're out there, we may take a look into this," said Link as he held the bounty in front of Marze and urged Epona to a canter.

"Kain Borne, huh? 1,000 Rupees to bring him back it says. Do you need money or something?"

"No," Link said, pulling his hood down and his mask off. "I need closure. Kain Borne is the one who trained me to be a bounty hunter. A while ago, I was once a thief in order to provide for Ryla and myself, stealing things that wouldn't be missed like loaves of bread, a few misplaced Rupees. One day, while I was pick-pocketing a store owner who was on his way home, he caught on and pulled a knife. I had no weapons, so all I could do was try to run, but he got a solid grip on my tunic. When I thought I was about to die, Kain Borne came out of nowhere and knocked the guy out with a single solid punch to the back of the head. I later found out that the store owner was selling false pottery for way too much, earning himself a bounty. Kain collected him. And one day, I found him again, and I tried to get a few Rupees off of him, but he noticed. However, he didn't try to kill me like the other man. He offered to train me in order to pursue a career that was legal; Bounty Hunting. I agreed, and he trained my to be the hunter I am today, the Hooded Demon. But once, he took a job to kill a monster reported in Faron Woods and never returned. No one's ever seen him since."

Marze blinked a few times before Link took the request back from him, focusing on the road ahead. Surveying his surroundings, he saw the forest and thus steered Epona in its direction.

"I'll let you know now, Marze, Faron Woods is a very dangerous place. Monsters have considered it there home for many years, and Hylians have for even longer stayed out of the cursed place. And the brave few who have tried to brave its depths were either wounded or killed."

"Sounds... pleasant," said Marze.

"That's not the half of it," continued Link. "Many separate mages have claimed that dark energies have become associated with the area, which is probably why rumors about a strangely powerful monster have started."

"Wait, mages?" asked Marze in confusion. "And a strangely powerful monster?"

"You know about the Heroes of Hyrule, but you don't know that Hylians are adept with magic? Most of us are born with the ability to use basic spells. Even I have such an ability, but I've never really focused on the arcane arts... I've always envisioned myself more as a knight like my father," answered Link, remembering his childhood.

"Your father was a knight?" asked the Stardrake.

"Yes. Not only was my father a knight, but a Royal Guard. He was high enough rank to serve as one of the princess's personal guards. Raven Valion... Sadly, he gave his life to save hers when an assassin tried to shoot her with a crossbow when they took a trip through town. He jumped in front of the shot and was killed, giving the other Royal Guards enough time to subdue the man. He was hailed as a hero... I was left without a father. My mother died later of depression. Something I learned from my father is that the princess was a bit of a tomboy, and that I was born a few months before her. He said if the Goddesses allowed it, I could date the Princess of Hyrule, maybe be king... But who was he kidding. I wasn't a royal. But that doesn't matter to me. So long as I can protect my kingdom, I don't need to be king... Oh, it looks like we're here."

Link slowed Epona and told her to return home, but that he'd call her if he needed her, walking down a path that lead to Hyrule great southern forest.

"Marze, welcome to Faron Woods."

And with that, Link and his companion made their way into the very same spot that had claimed the lives of so many other bounty hunters.

"Don't worry, Kain. I'll figure out what happened to you."

* * *

 **Alright, that's another chapter up and running! Yeah, gotta apologize for how slow my updates have been lately. My schedule has been really tight for the past few months, so I didn't have much time at all to write. But I put those bits and pieces together and managed to make a chapter for you guys. But yeah, lots of interesting stuff going on here today. You learned a bit more about Link's past his last name (Valion is one I'm proud of, so I use it a lot. It's my personal favorite for his last name), his old mentor, his family, Hyrule's political system, the bounty office, some other hunters, and Faron Woods.**

 **As always, I hope you guys like it, and OniHelix out!**


	6. Into the Woods

**Alright, Faron Woods! Let's see what mysteries lie within its depths, as well as what happened to Link's master, Kain!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Into the Woods

Link drew his sword and shield and began carefully making his way into the woods, constantly looking around to stay aware of his surroundings, as monsters could lurk anywhere within these damned woods...

"You never know when a damn Lizalfos or worse could pop up out of nowhere..." said Link as he ducked under a branch.

"Worse?" asked Marze as he flew through the trees behind Link.

"Well, for starters, I could be dealing with Dinalfos, a stronger species of Lizalfos capable of inhaling air and exhaling flames," explained Link as he hopped off the large root of a tall tree. "And even worse than those are not things that struggle to live, but the ones that refuse death."

Marze's eyes widened as Link explained. "The undead?"

Link nodded in confirmation. "And likely the reason that so many have never left. There are creatures known as Stalchildren, the reanimated corpses of kids who died searching for their parents but never returned. Though weak alone, they always come in unholy numbers. But even worse are what became of their parents."

"Yeah?" asked Marze.

"As you know, only bounty hunters and knights ever tried to enter Faron Woods, skilled fighters. They became terrifying warriors of death known as Stalfos. They don't fear death as much as the living fear them."

Link heard rustling in the bushes to his right, quickly raising his shield in order to take whatever blow might be coming. To his relief, a squirrel darted out of said bush, running up a tree a few feet away. It quickly made its way to a lone branch standing over what would have long ago been a path used by hunters. The animal looked at Link with eyes that nearly pleaded for him to turn back before scurrying away, further up the tree and out of Link's sight.

"Not until I have my sister back," Link whispered to himself as he quickened his pace, ducking under branches that stood between him and his goal.

OOO

"Maybe we should take a break?" suggested Marze, as Link had been making his way deeper into the forest for a few hours. Link looked around but shook his head.

"I can't. We can take a break once we find a clearing, but no sooner."

The hunter continued his trek through the forest for a few more minutes before finally coming across a small clearing in the forest where the dwindling sunlight rained down from above. Link sheathed his weapons and reached into his pouch, gathering up a few things to set up a camp for the night.

"Alright, this spot will do. So long as we keep a fire going through the night, none of the Stals should try to do anything. I'll get a fire started."

Marze nodded, flitting around the treeless area. "I honestly wonder what Dark Link wants to do with your sister. I mean, according to your legends, it's the Princess of Hyrule that possesses a fragment of the Triforce, right? Not a commoner?"

"Yes," replied Link as he unraveled a bedroll for himself for the night. "There hasn't been a case that Hylian History knows of where the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom hasn't been royal. The Hero, however, is almost never of royal blood. Maybe once or twice the Hero was of even the slightest hint of royal blood. For example, the Hero of Twilight was descended from the Hero of Time, who later in life was knighted, making the Hero of Twilight a knight by blood, which in Hyrule is considered royal enough to marry into the royal family."

"That's pretty interesting," acknowledged Marze as he landed in the branch of a nearby tree. "Anyway though, you should get some sleep. When we find what we're looking for, we'll probably need you at your best."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Link as he lit the fire, setting his sword and shield next to himself in case the fire proved ineffective through the night.

"Just remember, if you see anything or hear anything, just wake me up. I don't care if it turns out to be a squirrel, I just need to make sure nothing tries to kill me before I get Ryla back."

Marze nodded as Link removed his sword and shield, setting them next to his bedroll, shortly after removing his armor, leaving only his white underclothes.

"I swear," said Link as he placed his clothing next to the bedroll, "if something happens to Ryla because I'm too slow, then there's going to be Hell to pay. I won't care what gods stand in my path, they'll fall if they so much as lay a hand on her."

Before Marze knew it, Link had fallen asleep, looking surprisingly peaceful after his outburst. Marze didn't mind though, and tossed another twig into the fire, hoping to keep the terrors Link spoke of at bay.

OOO

When Link finally woke, he saw the rays of sunlight in its early hours breaking through the woods. Sighing with relief, he regathered his equipment, plaving them all back in their proper places. Placing his weapons on his back, he felt ready to go.

"Alrighty Marze, let's be on our way. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so I want to start as soon as we can. Marze?"

Link looked around to see that Marze was nowhere to be seen, and that there was a path of broken branches leading further into the woods.

"Damn it! The fire didn't work!" Link shouted before running down the new path. Link deduced that it must have been something small that took Marze, as there weren't very thick branches broken when they got in its way. But that didn't stop Link. Not when Marze was the only one who could help him find his sister, so he had to soldier on.

It took Link a while to finally make it to the next clearing, seeing a familiar looking Stardrake being held in a make-shift jail cell made of branches suspended a good twenty feet above the ground, held in the air by the branch of a positively titanic tree not far from where he stood now.

"Marze!" Link shouted, hoping to get the little dragon's attention.

Marze looked around the area, eventually see the bounty hunter waving at him from the forest floor.

"Link, get out of here! It's a trap!"

Link's eyes widened as he looked around in worry, his eyes scanning the area for any possible signs of danger. It was only when he saw a bush in the distance rustle that he realized he was too late, and an arrow scratched his face. Quickly drawing his own bow, he let fly an arrow into the same bush the offender had shot from, hearing a cry of pain from within. Quickly switching from bow to sword, he sprinted past the bush and raised his sword, only to see a younger boy clutching his arm in pain with a boy by his feet. Link noticed that his arrow had merely grazed the boy's arm and embedding itself in the tree behind him.

"Who are you?" Link asked the younger boy, who looked at him in anger before grabbing a knife with his good arm.

"I should have known!" yelled the boy as he stood. "More bounty hunters. What do you want, huh? Want to try and find the secret of the forest like the others? Well guess what! You won't find anything! Only I'm allowed to find what made this forest special and get the reward! Everyone else is just trespassing!"

The boy tried to stab Link, though he easily sidestepped his attack and tripped, taking his knife in the process. The boy quickly got up, only then realizing he didn't have his weapon before reaching for his bow, but Link merely stepped on it, preventing the boy from attacking him any further.

"Just stop already. I'm not here for whatever made this forest what it is."

"Liar! My brother told all bounty hunters do is do what they want for money! He would know, he was a bounty hunter too!"

Link rolled his eyes and grabbed the boy, lifting him into the air such that he couldn't try to grab his bow anymore.

"Tell me, ever heard of a bounty hunter by the name of the Hooded Demon?"

"Goddesses, are you an idiot? Everyone in Hyrule's heard of the guy. He's currently the most successful bounty hunter alive."

"So, if you've heard of him, then you know how he operates, right? Either takes a bunch of smaller missions or one big one before lying low, am I right?"

"Yeah, your point?"

Link set the boy down, he himself leaning on a tree close by.

"Ever wonder why he waits a while before taking new missions? It's because he's protecting someone. He gets the money he needs for both him and who he is protecting to survive. He doesn't do it for the money, he does it to help someone live," Link explained.

"And how would you know this?" the boy asked, falling into a sitting position.

"Because," Link said as he donned his mask and hood, his piercing blue eyes staring at the boy through his mask, and the boy stared back at him in shock.

"I am the Hooded Demon."

The boy shook his head violently. "No, you can't be. The Hooded Demon never shows his face! If you were him, then why show me?""

Link narrowed his eyes, the boy wincing at the strangely convincing act. "Why show you? Because the person I've been protecting was my younger sister, and she's been taken. And as much as I don't want to admit it, I need help. I'm against the world here. So, can I ask your help?"

The boy fiddled with his fingers, finally believing him. "What's in it for me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Link thought for a moment, then smiled beneath his mask. "Tell you what; If you help me, I'll help you find out this forest's secrets. Best part, you get the reward. Does that sound good enough?"

The boy thought for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. "Okay, deal. My name is Abel, by the way. What's yours? Can't be calling you Hood forever if we're going to be working together."

Link managed a small chuckle as he removed his mask and hood, thinking for a moment. "My name is Link Valion."

Link was about to say something else when he was cut off by a certain Stardrake clearing his throat.

"Now that we have that all cleared up, can someone get me down please? I don't like enclosed spaces."

Link snickered for a moment before nocking an arrow, severing the rope with a single well placed shot. Marze was unceremoniously dropped on the ground and his cage shattered when he hit the ground, dazing him for a moment.

"Now I know why Hylians say... 'Seeing stars'..." was all the little dragon managed to croak out before falling unconcious.

"So, uhhh... What is that thing? Even when I took it from your camp, I had no idea what it was," asked Abel.

Link shook his head with slight annoyance. "That's a Stardrake, basically a little star dragon. He's helping me find my sister. His name is Marze."

Abel laughed at Marze's expense and stood up, wincing as he bumped his arm on a tree branch.

"We might want to do something about that," said Link as he reached into his pouch to pull out a bottle of potion. "Here, take a sip of this. It should have you feeling fine in no time."

Abel thanked Link before uncorking the potion, taking a rather generous sip of the red liquid before furrowing his brow in disgust.

"Oh my Goddesses, these are bitter," said Abel before checking his arm, which thanks to the potion's healing properties was already scarring over. "Thank you though."

"Not a problem," said Link before putting the potion back in his pouch. "So, Abel, what do you know about this place? How close are you to unlocking the secret of Faron Woods?"

"If you want me to be 110% honest with you... Not very. All I know is something is up with the Great Tree. Problem is, there's a door that I can't get past, and it doesn't look like it takes a key, so I can't even pick it."

"Well," said Link with a smirk as he re-donned his mask and hood, "I've had more than my fair share of otherwise impassible doors in my lifetime. Let's head out, yeah?"

Abel nodded and grabbed Marze, leading Link in the direction of the Great Tree, which to Link's lack of surprise was the leviathan of a tree he saw when entering the clearing. True to Abel's words, there was a huge stone door lacking a keyhole, meaning there had to be some other way it opened.

"Maybe some kind of hidden mechanism somewhere else opens it," whispered Link as he scanned the area. Then he got an idea. If there was anyone that had recently gone into the Great Tree, they must have used the door, right? So they must have also used whatever unlocks the door...

Luckily for Link, his days of bounty hunting have made a more than proficient tracker. Making his way to the door, he gave it an experimental knock to see if he couldn't merely cut through it with his sword, but it seemed extremely thick, so merely breaking it down was out of the question unless he had high power explosives.

Looking at the ground, Link saw tracks that led to the door, and were quite visible, thankfully. Following them away from the door, he was led to a suspicious-looking stone free of plant-life unlike the others, instead covered by a crude green paintjob to try and make it look natural. Moving the stone, which he found to be nothing but a craved piece of wood, he saw a divot in the ground filled by a lever that had been used recently, meaning Link had found his entrance. Pulling the lever, he heard the feint crunching of gears as he saw the door open, releasing a heavy gust that visibly moved Abel, knocking him over.

"Sorry, Abel!" Link called to his new companion, who gave a thumbs-up in response.

"I'm fine!" called the younger boy, standing up with nothing more than a fresh coat of dirt on his back, dirtying his clothes. "You got it open though, so we can get started. Let's head in and see what's up."

Link nodded and headed to the doorway, Abel following closely after. When Link stood at the entrance the the temple withing the Great Tree, he heard heavy growling and loud crashes, things that would deter even the most fearless of men. But it wasn't fearlessness that made Link strong. It was courage. The courage to overcome any obstacle put in his way regardless of how afraid he is. Because right now, these obstacles were keeping his sister away from him.

And nothing was going to keep him from saving her.

Without so much as a second glance, Link made his way down the stairs to the depths of the Great Tree, Abel now a bit hesitant.

"A-are you sure you want to do this? There might be something down there we don't know about," he asked unsurely, though Link merely kept walking, not even bothering to turn around and face him to speak.

"I've never been as sure about anything in my entire life. If I find so much as a clue to find my sister, then this will all be worth it," replied the hunter as he became swallowed by the darkness of the tree.

"W-wait for me!" cried Abel as he quickly ran down the stairs after Link, not wanting to be separated from his partner in such a dangerous place.

The staircase was surprisingly long, but that should have been expected considering it was likely a place of worship used by some faith or another in the past. But worshiping a tree? Link thought that was absurd. Regardless, when they finally reached the bottom, the place was huge. Link could tell even in the dim light that they were standing in a huge central corridor, leading off to many different rooms, most of which locked, meaning the keys had to be somewhere.

Link grabbed an old torch from the wall, and using a flint and steel from his pouch, lit it, providing light throughout the main chamber before handing it to Abel, he himself drawing his sword and shield. This was the very heart of the evil that has long plagued Faron Woods, so monsters were bound to be lurking around every corner.

"I've heard rumors about this place," stated Abel as he took a look around the room. "The Heroes of Old were supposed to have come here during their quests... They called it the Forest Temple, but that's kind of bland... You know what? From today on, I'll call this the Temple of Abel!"

Link sighed. This kid sure was interesting. "Why not Skyview Temple? There was one called that long ago, and it has a nicer ring to it," proposed the hunter.

Abel nodded, liking the idea. "Then it's settled. Skyview Temple it is!"

And with that, Link set off on the first challenge of his quest.

Skyview Temple.

* * *

 **Well, I'd say it's about time for a new chapter, yeah? And next chapter, we get into Skyview Temple, yay! I did like Skyward Sword's name for the Skyview Temple, so that's what this one will be called. I want to try and break away from the lazy naming Zelda dungeons have like Water Temple and Forest Temple. Skyward Sword did that pretty well, with only the Earth Temple and Fire Temple being the offenders. But who cares, you guys have this lovely chapter until next time.**

 **There are no steroids in sports. Only players that Chuck Norris has breathed on.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	7. Skyview Temple

**Welcome, one and all... To Skyview Temple!**

 **I'll let you guys know now; as much of a Zelda buff as I am, I honestly have no idea how to write out things like dungeons, so bare with me if they aren't the Zelda dungeons you grew up with. Granted, I'll try my best to have Link solve puzzles, but they won't be as intricate as what Nintendo can. I hope you guys understand.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Skyview Temple

Link took one final survey of the room before gesturing to Abel, telling him to follow closely.

"Where should we go first? There's only one door unlocked, so there?" recommended Abel, as two of three doors were locked, one by an actual lock, the other by some sort of three-part mechanism.

Link turned to the right most of the doors, nodding and walking up to it. The door was positively ancient; the design hinted at being older than the Hero of Twilight himself, more than 300 years ago. Wasting no further time, he placed his hands on the door to find how to open it. He eventually found that the doors open to the side, keeping that in mind for future reference. Entering the room first with Abel following closely, Link quickly scanned the room. He had to walk down a decently long hallway in order to enter the room itself, and he noticed that there was a mural on the wall in addition to a chest behind a barred door. Link looked around, not seeing much that could open the gate. However, he thought about what he had to do to get inside...

"Look for anything suspicious, anything that looks out of place, Abel," Link told his companion.

Abel nodded and looked around, seeing a stone of a more brown color than the gray of the rest of the temple.

"That stone is a different shade than the others, so maybe something is up with it?"

Link patted him and the back and ran over to the stone, kicking it aside to see there was a switch that the stone was holding down.

Instead of unbarring the door, it ended up closing the hallway off, sealing Abel off from Link.

"Sorry, Abel, I'll get that back open in a second," said Link as he stepped back onto the switch.

But nothing happened.

"Wha?" said Link as he stomped on the switch, sure he was pushing it down, but the door still wouldn't open.

"Damn," said Link as he looked around the room. "It must have rigged something up so I have to do something else now."

Abel looked around until seeing a little figure in the corner of the room, drawing what looked like a sword.

"Link, behind you!"

Link turned to see the source of Abel's fear, and it turned out to be around 5 bokoblins, stupid little creatures that knew nothing but 'beat what isn't a bokoblin with a stick.' Link quickly drew his sword and readied himself, the first one running at him and swinging clumsily with its club. Link easily knocked the club from its hand before decapitating it with an single swing, its body dispersing like monsters typically do when they perish. Charging the remaining 4, he jump attacked one, lopping off its arm before hitting two more with a spin attack, killing them. He rammed his shield into the uninjured one's chest, knocking it over before impaling it with a finishing blow. The disarmed one hobbled away, holding its wound before Link ran past it, bouncing off the wall before impaling it, pinning its body to the ground before it dissipated. With the final beast finished off, the door that Link came through opened, as did the door the was between Link and the chest. Abel quickly ran next to Link, not willing to be separated from the swordsman again.

"Well, now I know for sure that you aren't lying. No one but a Demon can fight like that and end up unscathed. Anyway, let's see what's in that chest."

Link nodded and went to the chest, checking for any other traps before opening the chest, finding a map and a key.

"It definitely looks like this place is navigable, just not a direct shot. We'll have to snake our way around in order to get to the center of the temple."

Abel nodded and investigated the mural. "Who would put a painting up in a place like this? It's littered with traps!"

Link stopped to look at the mural himself.

"You never know when something is there for a reason. Like that rock, it didn't make sense but it was there. Just keep it in mind."

Abel shrugged out an okay, still skeptical about the mural. But if Link said to remember it, it must be important enough, right? In that case, he grabbed a small notebook and made a quick sketch of what the mural looked like. Satisfied with his work, he marked the page and placed it back in his pouch. Link nodded and headed back down the hallway they had entered from and went back through the door. Pulling the key he gained from the previous room out, he unlocked the other door and entered, quickly looking around the room before placing his shield back on his back. This room had a huge spiral staircase going up, easily close to ground level.

"Let's get climbing," Link said before starting up the stairs, Abel following closely after. Link noticed that there were more paintings on the walls as they climbed, each one depicting heroes and armies facing off against what appeared to be giant spiders.

Abel shuddered. He hated spiders.

"Maybe the reason this temple hadn't been used for so long is that these monster ravaged the place, making it their nest," Link theorized Link as he pointed at one of the largest spiders, one suspending a man by threads like a puppet.

"I don't even want to think about anything related to spiders. Number one fear right there," stated the boy.

Link shrugged and continued up the stairs, revealing another central chamber leading off the three rooms, each one a different color.

"A black door, a brown one, and a green one... I wonder what significance these hold," said Link as he walked up to the green door, opening it to reveal a long hallway that had gratings that appeared to show the room after the triple-locked door. It was too dark for Link to see, even with the torch, but he thought he could make out the feint sound of clicking, like if a huge insect were walking around. He noticed Abel was shaking, likely because of the sounds.

"That sounds like... S-Skulltulas. Goddesses, I hate skulltulas... They're like normal spiders, but huge. They can be bigger than full-grown horses, even Shadowsteeds..."

Link knew the term Shadowsteeds. They were massive, powerful horses favored by the King of Evil long ago, as they were the only horses capable of supporting the massive man. According to eyewitness accounts, the Tyrant of a Gerudo, his race as discovered by scholars searching about his past, was 7'6", and bore weight to match, even bearing heavy Blacksteel armor, a durable metal forged using dark magic. The Conqueror of Hyrule was a very powerful man, and he only utilized the finest gear.

Link was pulled from his thoughts when Abel poked at him, pointing at the end of the hallway. There was a green pressure panel in a small, circular room that was otherwise empty. Link, cautious from last time, grabbed a large chuck of the old ceiling weighing around 50 pounds before lobbing it at the switch, and to his relief nothing happened other than the sound of a few mechanisms at work.

Link gestured back at the door, only to see that it was closed.

"Goddesses damn it."

He soon saw that the sides opened up, letting through about 3 smaller skulltulas, each the size of a dog. Link scowled as he drew his sword, not wanting to fight anything for a while.

"Abel, hide in the circular room. I'll make sure none of them get past," commanded Link, placing himself between Abel and the creatures.

These were skulltulas, huge spiders that make their home in deep forests and dark caverns. True to their names, the abdomens of these titanic arachnids bore chitinous armor that naturally formed a design almost identical to a menacing skull capable of repelling most weapons. However, there was a small spot on their underbellies that didn't have this natural armor, so if he could just flip them over...

Link charged the nearest skulltula, though with its highly durable mandibles, blocked his sword and then bit at him, though he slammed his shield into its face and broke its mandibles. Another scurried up the wall and around Link, heading for Abel, though Link couldn't chase after it without letting the other two hunt him unhindered. Quickly uppercut slashing the one he'd already injured, he flipped it on its back and exposed its weak point, a large purple sac that housed the majority of its bodily fluids. Reacting fast, he leapt up and stabbed the beast there with a fatal blow, gushing its insides everywhere. He quickly hit the other with a spin attack, knock it off balance before finishing it off the same way. Wasting no more time before charging at Abel's assailer, he shield bashed the skulltula away before stabbing at it with all of his might, piercing its chitin and impaling it through the very center of its body. It fell soundlessly to the ground before dissipating, leaving Abel breathless as the beast perished.

"T-Thanks... I can't say I'll be of much help whenever a skulltula attacks, those things are terrifying. Sorry," explained Abel.

"I understand," assured Link as he checked to make sure no more skulltulas were nearby, and that the door was open. "Everyone has their own fears, so I can't judge you. But anyway, let's get out of here."

Abel nodded and jogged past Link in order to leave the room as quickly as he could, Link picked up his own pace in order to keep up, and both left the room.

"At least we know why those pictures on the wall are there," said Link, shrugging. "This place is absolutely crawling with skulltulas. We'll just have to be more cautious of traps and the like."

The two made their way to the black door, Link going through first. This room was different than the others they've been in so far in the sense that there were several pressure plates on the ground, three in total, and behind a gate was a black pressure panel after a small hallway. Link went through and stepped on a switch, though when he moved to the next one, the one he pressed moved back up.

"Oh, I see. They're all rigged so you have to stand on all three at once to open the gate," theorized Link as he looked at the three of them. Looking further in the room, he saw that there was a wall covered in thick vines, easily capable of being climbed. He ran over and quickly scaled the vines, displaying to Abel how effective of a hunter he is. When he was a thief, he had to know how to climb quickly and quietly.

At the top, he saw two creatures that he knew as helmasaurs, beasts that attempt to subdue prey by ramming their bodies into them, though they can only charge in a straight line. Most have somehow found huge, iron plates capable of fending off weapons, though their backsides are typically left uncovered.

One of the helmasaurs noticed him and charged, though he easily sidestepped and it ran straight off the ledge.

"Abel, climb the vines! They can't reach you if you're up here!" Link commanded. Abel nodded and ran past the dazed helmasaur, as it had rammed into the wall. Abel clung to the vines and climbed, stopping when he reached the ledge so as to give Link time to get the other one to the ground. It didn't take long for him to get the other's attention, and followed suit and charged off the ledge, allowing Abel to climb up the ledge unhindered. Link hopped after the beasts and drew his sword. He stood between the two of them and knocked his sword into his shield, catching both creatures' attention. Both charged at once, Link quickly dodging so that they rammed into each other, dazing themselves and giving Link plenty of time to slay them both. However, when they died, he noticed that their masks stayed. He went over to one to pick it up, and noticed that it was very heavy, easily over a hundred pounds. Looking from the masks to the switches, he placed one on a switch, satisfied to see that it held the switch down firmly. Doing the same with the other, he finally went to the final switch and stepped on it, opening the door to the black plate. He called to Abel, having him head down and step on the switch, and though the similar sounds of gears crunching resounded throughout the room, no additional enemies made their way into the room. Abel sighed in relief and left the switch, though the switch went back up and the sounds ceased.

"Damn it. The switch still has be held down... Alright, Abel, get out of there I have an idea."

Abel left the room, shortly afterwards Link stepping off the switch, noting the delay in the door closing back up.

"Two seconds. Abel, can you stand back on the switch I was on? I need to be able to move freely."

Abel ran over to the switch Link was talking about and stood on it, reopening the gate to the black switch. Link acted quickly grabbing the helmasaur's mask and running to the gate.

"One second left!"

He wasted no time in throwing the mask at the switch, landing it perfectly and turning back towards the gate, which had started to lower.

"Come on, COME ON!"

Link slid under the gate, though he left something get caught as he slid through. He quickly rose to see that it was his bow, and the weight of the gate had crushed it and cut the string.

"Damn it. Well, it could have been worse," stated Link as he turned to Abel. "Anyway, let's get going. What was left, a brown door?"

Abel looked back to the gate and then back to Link. "Sorry about your bow."

"What, that old thing? Don't worry about it. It was honestly a pathetic bow I got a long time ago."

Abel shrugged and then went back out the door, turning to the brown door with Link following. The next room looked like some sort of cathedral, and following suit with that, several murals adorned the wall.

"Well, none of these have to do with spiders, at least," said Link as he went to the statue at the altar, depicting a man wearing a tunic and long hat wielding an intricate sword and shield, a wolf behind him with fangs bared.

"Wait," said Link as he finally realized something. "This wasn't a place of worship for a tree, but for one of the Heroes! This one looks to be the Hero of Twilight, due to the wolf."

"Hey, you're right!" said Abel as he looked around the room. "Wait, not just him. Each Mural depicts a different hero. That one depicts the First Hero, the Goddess' Chosen Hero. Oh, and that one depicts that Hero of Time! And these have even more! Oh, but this one is broken. What a shame."

Link remembered something from an earlier room as he looked at the mural Abel was talking about, one behind the statue of the Hero of Twilight. "Abel, get out that sketch of that mural from the first room."

"Wha- Oh my Goddesses, you're right! If we can fix this one, maybe it will reveal the final switch!"

Abel quickly reached into his pouch and grabbed his journal, quickly turning to the page where he had sketched the mural.

"Alright, let's fix this mess. This piece goes here..."

OOO

"...And then this one goes here," said Link as he placed the final piece of the mural into its proper position. In the end, it was a mural depicting all of the Heroes standing side by side, each with their blades held out in defiance of the evil plaguing Hyrule. Link quickly gave a prayer for the Goddesses in thanks for the Heroes. He took a mental note to stop doing so, even if out of habit. As he had predicted, the statue of the Hero of Twilight moved back, revealing the final switch to the triple locked door. Link quietly stepped on it before making his way back out of the brown door, Abel follow suit. He made his way back down the staircase and to the main room before standing in front of the now opened door that led deeper into the temple.

"You ready, Abel? This was the room with all those skulltulas, likely their main nest."

"No chickening out now. Time for some heroics! I mean, who else is going to find out about the secret of the woods, Hylian Knights? As much as they've shaped up after the Hero of Twilight, they still wouldn't get far, nowhere near as far as we did. No, we started this, by the Goddesses are we going to finish it," Abel replied adamantly.

Link nodded approvingly before heading through the door. Now that he could actually see the remainder of the room, he knew why this place frightened Abel so much- It was covered wall to wall in skulltulas, and they seemed to be converging around the circular room at the end of the hallway.

"Alright Abel, if I give any semblance of a signal, you are to run, okay?"

Abel nodded and sat down at the door, setting down a dazed Marze, who had been clinging to his back for a long time.

"Stop flying, little birdie..." said Marze before falling unconscious again.

Link made his way to the room where the skulltulas gathered, and a door closed behind him when he entered. He took a look around, but he didn't see anything. He still drew his sword and shield in precaution however, just in case something popped up. His caution was justified when a skullwalltula, the larval state of a skulltula incapable of making sturdy webbing, fell from the ceiling, drawing his attention up.

"Dear sweet Hylia."

Clining to the top of the room was a titanic skulltula, typically classified as something even worse, a Gohma. They were skulltulas that have lived many times longer than a typical skulltula, and are far more dangerous. Link took note of how it possessed one huge eye at the front of its body, and how egg sacs were stuck to it as well.

"Why me?" Link asked no one as the creature fell to the ground, shaking the entire structure. Link examined the Gohma closer and determined it must have been male, and therefore the king of this nest since the young of a female were stuck to its body, the young of the queen. That also meant that the queen was somewhere, and it had to be dealt with.

"I don't care how many King or Queen Gohma are here, I'll kill them all if it gets me any closer to Ryla," declared Link as he charged the King Gohma.

The creature reared back and bit at Link, though he flipped back to dodge its powerful jaws. As skulltulas grow into their Gohma state, the develop an extremely powerful poison that acts like more of an acid, and Link knew a simple wooden shield like his wouldn't do anything to stop its venom. It would simply dissolve, becoming useless.

"I wish I had one of those blessed shield the Hylain Knights use," said Link as he dodged the leg of the King come crashing down where he was standing. Hylian Shields were realistically indestructible, as they were blessed by the very Goddess Hylia herself through a special ritual kept hidden from the general public by Royal Law, upheld by Imperial Decree. They really don't want people to know how to mass produce them on their own, as they are a decent source of profit in Hyrule.

Link sidestepped the angry Gohma's attack again, trying to find a way to hurt it. He couldn't possibly hope to pierce its chitin- At the Gohma stage, you'd be better off trying to cleave solid steel. However, its eye didn't appear to have any sort of armor, so perhaps...

Link dodged an additional attack from the King Gohma before running in a stabbing its eye, wounding in and throwing it back from its own recoil. It stared at him angrily, arachnid blood leaking from its eye before crawling to the top of the chamber, reaching back and pulling an egg sac off of its body. It then proceeded to drop it to the ground, the sac shattering and releasing countless skullwalltulas to the ground. Link ran through them, cutting some down before reaching the center of the cluster, killing the rest with a powerful spin attack. The King released what could best described as a roar as it crashed back to the floor right where Link was standing, forcing the bounty hunter to dodge or be crushed by the huge spider's weight. It was dazed by landing so hard, therefore it sat there in mild confusion as Link walked up and stabbed it hard in the eye, using two hands to ensure he cut deep. His strike was true, and the Gohma stood back up only to fall again, as it had grown weak from blood loss. Link was about to finish the job when it grabbed an egg sac from its back, liquefying the larvae inside before drinking its contents, discarding the silken sac before rising again.

"I'll have to take out those egg sacs if I don't want to be here all day... If I had my bow I could just shoot them off, but I'll have to wait until he tries to land on me to cut a few off."

The King Gohma once again began lashing out against with its legs and maw, though Link easily dodged out of the way due to how slow the King was. He weaved his way in and stabbed at its eye again, sending it scurrying back to the ceiling where if released more larvae, which Link quickly dispatched of. The King once again tried to crush Link under its weight. He again dodged, dazing the King Gohma. Link, before striking at its eye, managed to cut off two of the remaining three sacs, cutting them apart and preventing them from hatching. Quickly circling around, he stabbed it in its eye. As expected, it devoured the final egg sac before reaching up, placing itself back onto the ceiling.

"Trying to run, huh? Not today," declared Link as he threw his sword up at the Gohma, lodging the blade into its eye, bringing it back down to the floor. He ran up and grabbed his sword, slashing upwards as he wrenched it free, stabbing down hard, piercing beyond its eye cavity. The King Gohma threw him off before standing back up, though it stuttered and fell before rolling onto its back, legs flailing around before curling up, the creature having finally died. Its corpse didn't dissipate immediately however, the mark of a more powerful monster, and therefore merely decayed slowly. The door opened, as did one on the other side of the room, and something fell from the ceiling encased in webbing, shaken loose by the titanic beast's thrashing. The webbing slowly fell away, revealing a chest. Link sheathed his sword in victory, swinging it twice in front of him before spinning it around, landing it in the scabbard before completely sheathing it.

"Abel, it's safe! You can enter the room!"

Abel made his way to the center room, stuttering as he saw the King Gohma's corpse.

"What the Dark Realm?! Did you fight that thing? ...And win?!" shouted Abel in shock.

"Yep," replied Link rather casually as he pointed to the chest. "But it left this. I wonder what it could be?"

Link went to the chest and opened it, revealing a longbow of very fine make, braced around the leather-wrapped handle with steel guards and being larger than his old bow.

"Whoa..." said Link as he pulled the bow out. "This bow is amazing. It's even better crafted than the Huntress' bow, and she spends a lot of rupees on good equipment."

Link drew the string back, and to his satisfaction it bore an intense draw weight.

"Whew. I'd say it takes about 200 pounds to pull this sucker back. And it's in great condition. But how did it end up here? I've heard stories of how the Heroes found weapons on their journies, but finding a bow like this out here is preposterous," commented Link over his new bow. "Regardless, I'll take it."

Link drew back an arrow and let it fly through the grating around the room, killing a skulltula in one shot, shredding through its chitin.

Link nodded in approval of his new weapons new power. It was hard to find anything capable of piercing skulltula chitin like that.

"Let's get a move on. We still have the rest of this temple to blaze, and I'd assume another Gohma to slay. That was merely the King Gohma. The Queen is still somewhere within Skyview.

Abel blinked in surprise. "A Queen Gohma?! Aren't they even larger than King Gohma?"

Link nodded. "Multiple times. And not only that, but they also possess more powerful venom and silk, even possessing entirely different abilities all together. They aren't to be taken lightly."

Abel swallowed in fear, turning to the newly opened door. "Better we kill it and be done with it than someone else meeting a grim fate because we ran."

Link placed a hand on Abel's shoulder to support him. "Then all we have to do is keep moving."

The two went through the new door, which lead to an enormous spiral staircase that went up, leading above ground and near the top of the Great Tree. They came to a small balcony atop the tree with a door sealed shut by an enormous lock and a smaller room off to the side simply sealed shut. However, there were what looked like three eyes staring at them, watching their every movement.

"Okay, that's creepy," declared Abel.

"I'll get rid of them," assured Link as he got out his new bow. "I need to get used to this bow anyway."

With three well-placed shots, Link destroyed the three eyes, causing the side door to open.

"Oh, neat."

The two entered the room, spotting a huge black chest with a gem embedded on the front. Link opened it, finding a huge key that was of equal proportion to the lock outside. Link and Abel went back to the huge door, Link opening it with the colossal key, leading to a huge room made entirely out of the branches of the tree.

"Just be careful, Link," asked Abel as Link went to enter the room. "We both know that what's in there will have been the strongest thing you've ever fought."

Link's mind wandered to Dark Link, though he quickly nodded so as not to tip Abel off as to what he was dealing with. "Yeah, I know. But anyway, let's head on in, shall we?" asked Link as he turned to the room. "Wait, Abel, stay back," commanded Link as he saw what was covering the floor.

The bottom of the room was covered in the bones of warriors who failed to face the threat of the forest. Link looked up, knowing full well what was at the top.

Clinging to the top of the room was the largest arachnid Hylians had ever witnessed, a Queen Gohma, the largest and strongest of all the Gohma possible in nature.

The beast was positively gargantuan, its mass alone being able to take up most of the room. Link thought of the easiest size comparison possible.

"It's bigger than my house."

After he said that, the creature sensed his presence and turned around, displaying its eight eyes that searched the room before finally landing on him. The beast remained staring at him before letting loose a terrifying roar, the sheer force pushing Link backwards.

"Well, we've got quite a fight ahead, don't we?" asked Link menacingly before grabbing the handle of his sword, staring back at the beast with his piercing blue eyes.

* * *

 **Alright, this is an extremely long chapter, right? Over 5,000 words? Yeah, that sounds pretty long, easily the longest chapter in this story so far. It's always good to have a nice long chapter every once in a while though, so it isn't like this is a bad thing. Now let's see here...**

 **The bow he got is essentially a slightly more powerful version of the Hero's Bow from Twilight Princess.**

 **The King Gohma's body minus the legs is roughly the same size as a pickup truck, though that Queen Gohma is at least 5 times larger, maybe a little bigger than Armoghoma. Spiders are huge here.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	8. Vicious Puppeteer: Queen Gohma

**Hello, one and all! Last we left off, Link all but finished clearing out the evil in Skyview Temple, aside from one tensie little thing called the boss, a Queen Gohma. Anyway, why should I be keeping you, enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 8

Vicious Puppeteer: Queen Gohma

Link drew his sword, preparing himself for what the Queen would do first. Watching her movement carefully, he watched as she crawled down to the ground, shattering any bones and crushing any corpses that stood in her path. He stood his ground as the Queen roared again at him, taking this chance to run in and slash at one of her eyes. The Queen was smarter than the King, however, and blocked his sword with her mandibles. Link was caught off-guard when she grabbed him, throwing him hard against the wall. His back cracked on contact, and he was left without breath as the Gohma charged. Standing weakly, he braced himself as the Gohma knocked him aside with one of her legs, though his shield managed to absorb most of the blow. Link was sent to the opposite end of the room like a ragdoll, though this time he hit the floor before he hit the wall.

"She's too... fast for me to attack with my sword..." said Link as he stood, the Queen searching for her opponent. Link had an idea, and as such drew his bow.

"Let's see if she can react to arrows flying over 200 mph," he whispered before firing off an arrow into one of her eyes as she finally saw him, the arrow completely circumventing her defenses and hitting her dead in one of her eyes. The Queen began squealing in pain, scurrying to the ceiling much like the King did. Unlike the King, however, she was capable of giving birth to skullwalltulas at a moment's notice, the newly hatched creatures swarming at him. Putting away his bow and drawing his sword, he cleaved through the swarm of arachnids, wasting no effort to dispatch all of them. The Queen roared again, spreading her legs wide and falling to the ground, Link barely managing to dodge between her legs in order to not get crushed. The Gohma was significantly sturdier than her mate, and quickly got up in order to attack Link before he could attack her. Link knew that he couldn't deal and damage with his sword, however, and as such sniped her in the same eye with his bow as she turned around. The Queen roared in pain again, this time charging at Link in order to bulldoze him, but Link leapt up and landed on the Queen's face. Taking sword in hand, Link made short work of her wounded eye, all but gouging it out of the socket. He was thrown off, forcing him to regain his balance before the Gohma rushed at him again, barely making it out of the way in time before she slammed into the wall. The Queen turned around angrily, only to find that link was nowhere to be seen.

"That was close," whispered Link, who had used his wiring to cling to the ceiling and out of the Queen's sight. "Just one good hit from that leviathan would end me. But maybe we can use her colossal size against her..."

Drawing his bow, Link aimed for the unarmored spots along the Queen's legs, her joints. Though too small to be struck by a sword other than a rapier, an arrow was the perfect size to slip right through the armor plates. Letting fly the arrow, it buried itself deep in her leg, nearly taking off the limb itself. The Gohma squealed in pain, finally finding Link on the ceiling.

"Uh-oh," said Link before severing the line, dropping him to the floor as the Gohma lunged at him. She crashed headfirst into the wall, dazing her as she came back out, revealing rays of sunlight as she retreated, burning at her armor. Link sprinted in front of the Gohma, taking out two more eyes before the Queen regained her composure, making hissing noises as she retreated from the light. Shielding her eyes from any further arrows, she spawned more skullwalltulas, though Link once again ended them all. The Queen remained on the ceiling this time however, forcing Link to come up with some way to take her down.

"She didn't seem to like the light... Let's see how she likes a good dose of it!" shouted Link as he reflected the light off of his sword's finely honed blade, burning at her armor and weakening her, dropping her to the ground. Too weak to stand, the Gohma could do nothing as Link impaled a forth eye, eliminating that one as well. The titanic arachnid let loose a guttural noise as it stood and retreated to the ceiling. She grabbed an egg sac and broke it revealing the frail body of a hylian wearing red.

"Oh my Goddesses."

The Gohma attached a few threads to the man before slowly lowering him to the ground. Link knew this man all too well, and was heartbroken at what was happening right now.

Link was being forced to face his mentor, Kain Borne.

Before Link could question what the Dark Realm was happening further, the familiar puppet was basically thrown at Link, and he was forced to defend against a heavy blow from a crimson knuckle buster, Kain's signature weapons.

Link narrowed his eyes threateningly, slicing through one of the threads that supported his mentor. Kain was returned to the ceiling for a moment, and was quickly dropped back down with all of the threads in perfect condition.

"So it's all or nothing here," deduced Link as Kain's body rushed at him again. The Queen would fix the threads so long as there were any to pull the puppet back, so he had to cut them all at once.

Link defended against the hammer blow that would have met otherwise with his shield, the added force of the Gohma controlling her throwing him back. The worst part was that Kain wasn't just being moved- his body was actually moving on its own, adding Kain's otherworldly strength to each blow. However, due to the few months he's been stuck with the Gohma, his body was deathly pale and vastly thinner than the heavily muscular physique he knew all too well. The Queen must have been using some kind of special toxin to keep him alive and control him, like some kind of possession.

Link was brought from his thoughts by another blow from Kain, once again sending him skidding back. When Kain came at him again, Link shield-bashed the hit and severed all of the threads holding the man up as he was staggered. The Gohma grew angry and crashed to the ground again, though Link noticed that it went out of its way to not crush Kain, aiming more efficiently at Link, though he still managed to dodge, albeit barely. Link once again ran around to stab away at her eyes, thought she was defending using her forelimbs, making it impossible for him to get a hit in. The Queen grabbed Kain and returned to the ceiling, suspending him by threads again. Link noticed that while Kain possessed close to his normal physical strength, he barely possessed even a fraction of a fraction of his normal agility, meaning the Gohma couldn't replicate everything. Link dodged another hammer blow and severed the threads again, though this time he grabbed his bow and instantly aimed up.

"If she's going to try and crush me, she has to look at some point..." said Link as he aimed at the Queen's face, and true to his beliefs, the Queen's limbs moved away, setting up a perfect shot with his bow. The arrow dazed the Gohma, sending her plummeting to the bottom of the room, thankfully missing both him and Kain. Before he moved to the eyes though, he made sure to fit a few arrows into the joints of her front legs, weakening them enough to cut them off with a sword, nullifying her defenses. He then went to work, taking out two more eyes. The Queen regained her composure and returned to the ceiling, Kain in tow. She re tied him and sent him back down, though before the Gohman could make a move, he put another arrow in the Queen's face, bringing her back down. Grabbing Kain, he quickly got out of the landing zone with the other hunter in tow. He quickly and violently turned to the Queen and stabbed her in and eye, easily getting rid of it. The Queen recovered, but this time roared instead of heading to the ceiling. Spawning as many skullwalltulas as she possibly could, she went for one final assault, and she was going down swinging. Link dodged through all of the skullwalltulas and took a powerful slash at her eye, though her young acted as a living shield and protected her from the slash. Link was about to follow up the attack, though he became swarmed by the remaining skullwallulas, forcing him to clear himself of the arachnids with a well-timed spin attack. As his spin ended, however, the Queen came at him full force, pinning him against the wall. He looked on in fear as the Gohma's mandibles became coated in some sort of venom, inching closer to his face. His breath ripped from his body by the force of the impact, he can do nothing but gasp for breath as she came closer to injecting him with something.

"Not... on my watch...!"

Link was surprised when the Queen was knocked away by a devastating blow, thanks to none other than Kain Borne.

"That's my... student there, you... freaky bug monster...!" shouted Kain, a little of his normal color back. He still looked a bit pale though, but that was what red potions were for.

"Kain!" called Link in joy before viciously turning to the titanic arachnid that was the source of both Kain's and Link's current problems. "How about we finish this one off together, for old time's sake?"

Kain cracked his knuckes, slamming his knuckle busters together. "I wouldn't have... had it any... other way!" replied the red-clad bounty hunter, still feeling extremely weak from his ordeal with the Gohma.

"Then let's end it!" called Link as he drew his sword and charged the Gohma, Kain following suit. Link took a single swing, killing off a majority of the remaining skullwalltulas, Kain using his extraordinary strength to roundhouse kick through the rest. Link made his way to the Queen, though she blocked his assault with her mandibles, rearing back for a bite attack. Link dodged out of the way while at the same time passing his shield to Kain, who with the remainder of his strength trucked the Gohma as hard as a Goron going full speed downhill, if not harder. Kain took pride in his herculean strength, and as such smashed through the Queen's mandibles. Link leapt over Kain, who had thrown her back with the force of his blow, and with sword held reverse, came crashing down and pierced the Gohma in her final eye. She finally reared back as if to attack again, though she fell backwards and onto her back, limbs flailing wildly as her body gave, each segment of her body burning away in some kind of golden fire before her entire being was engulfed in the glorious blaze. Link shielded his eyes as the Queen's corpse burnt, in the end revealing some sort of golden coin with a star pattern on its sides.

Link walked forward and took the coin, which had been floating in mid-air mind you, questioning what on earth he was looking at.

"What the Dark Realm is this...?" Link said as he held the coin, which gave off a feint golden light. Kain limped towards Link, resting his vastly larger frame on the Hooded Demon.

"What is that?" Kain asked, leaning onto Link.

"I don't know, but it's some kind of coin. Whatever it is, it made the Queen what it was... I should hold on to it, just so this doesn't happen again," explained Link as he placed the relic within his pouch. While he thought about it, he reached in and grabbed a couple of red potions, offering one to Kain.

"You'll probably need this," said Link as he held the drink to his old master.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Kain asked jokingly. "I'll have you know I'm still in fine shape. Just give me a good meal and I'll be right as rain!"

"But until then," said Link as he shoved the potion into his hands, "this will have to do."

Kain laughed for a moment before chugging the medicinal liquid. Link remembered that Kain really enjoyed the red potion's flavor, but of course Link wasn't to be outdone. Chugging his own, he resisted the urge to stop even as tears came to his eyes.

"Ah! That sure hit the spot," declared Kain as he handed that bottle back to Link. "Anyway, why don't we head back to Hyrule? I'm sure my wife is dying to know that I'm fine, my little bro too."

"You have a brother?" Link asked.

"What, I never told you? Damn. Well, his name is Abel, Abel Borne."

Link's eyes widened as he went to the door of the Gohma's chamber.

"Well, you'll be seeing him first," Link declared as he opened the door, startling Abel as he turned to Link.

"Oh my Goddesses, did you actually manage to kill that thing?! And who's thi-"

Abel was about to continue, though he finally realized exactly who it was that he was referring to.

"BROTHER?!"

Abel tackled Kain as hard as he could, though be barely made an impact on the huge man. Kain laughed, commenting on how Abel has gotten stronger since he's been gone.

With his face buried in Kain's shirt, Abel, crying loud as a newborn child, went on and on about how he thought he'd never see him again. Link, smiling, turned to the huge spiral staircase that led back to the forest floor.

"When you two are done, meet me at the entrance of the temple. I'll get you back to Hyrule."

Kain and Abel smiled at the hunter, Kain rubbing Abel's hair.

"We've got so much to catch up on, little guy."

OOO

It took a solid hour or so for Kain and Abel to make their way to the entrance of the temple. Of course, Link didn't mind. He'll take his sweet time when he finds Ryla...

 _If I find her,_ Link thought.

Blinking a few times, he got the thoughts of never finding his sister out of his head. He'd have to find her he was going to find her.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Kain and Abel walked out of Skyview, waving at Link.

"Hey, buddy!" called Kain as he waved at Link, carrying Abel on his shoulders.

Link waved back, but looked up at Abel when they reached him.

"Still have Marze?"

"No, actually. He said he'd make his way down by himself, but I'm not sure ho-"

"He can fly," specified Link, cutting him off. "Stardrakes can do that."

"Uhhh..." said Kain, "What's a Stardrake?"

Link removed his mask and lowered his hood, shaking his head. "Long story. I'll tell you on the way back to Castle Town. It might com as quite the shock."

Leading them out of the forest, Link mounted Epona, Kain and Abel following suit.

"So you see, it all started when my sister and I went Hyrule Castle Town for a trip..."

OOO

"Damn, kid," said Kain as he hopped off of Epona, "that must be rough. I can't imagine my little bro getting kidnapped like that by some god-like being."

"I can," called Abel in annoyance, hopping off in return.

"Calm down, you two," said Link with a tone of sass. "Anyway, we should be heading to the bounty office. There's a few people who might want to see you."

Link led to the bounty office, having set Epona off on her own outside Castle Town walls. She'd always be a whistle away, so there was no worry. Just before entering the building, however, he ripped off Kain's headband.

"Wait out here," Link said with a smirk to the two.

Putting both his hood and mask up, he made his way into the office.

"Hood!" yelled Gerome in excitement. "You're back, and in one piece no less! Well, did you find anything?"

Link nodded, but said nothing more.

"Well, out with it lad!"

Link sat down and reached into his pouch, setting Kain's headband onto the table.

"Oh my Goddesses... I should have known. He'd been gone for months, there was no way he could have still been alive. Though I think you have a reward that I o-"

"Hey," said Link, cutting him off. "There's still more. Abel, bring him in!"

The door opened, revealing the silhouette of two figures, one vastly larger than the other. They both stepped in, and Gerome dropped the bag of Rupees he was putting together.

"Kain?!"

Everyone else in the room turned to look at the door, and true to his outburst, Kain Borne was standing in the doorway, perfectly alive.

"You're alive?! I thought you'd have been dead... All that time..."

"Eh, save it Gerome, I'm fine. Though I do want my headband back," declared Link's master before snatching his headband back, putting it back on. "Oh, and could you be a pal and cook me up some food? I could really go for some grub..."

"No problem. In fact, it's on the house! Whenever someone pulls off something as impressive as coming back from the dead, the least I can do is reward 'em with a free meal! And you, Hood, you can have a plate too. You managed to bring back Kain, the Bloodborne! It's the least I can do to thank you."

"Don't mention it, Gerome. We'll be stopping by his house after this, but that doesn't mean to lighten the load. He's been without so much as a scrap of food for months, let's have a feast!" declared Link, Abel nodding in agreement.

"I'll get to it then! Don't want to keep her waiting, now do I?"

Gerome quickly scurried off to the back room, and the clatter of pots and pans could soon be heard.

Link leaned back in his chair, a certain huntress sitting across from him.

"I'll give you this one Hood, you did well. Maybe I misjudged you," said the Huntress, spinning her dagger between her fingers as usual. "Maybe you really can make a difference."

Link smiled at her, though the huntress couldn't see behind his mask. "You're not so bad yourself. You helped me do this, believe it or not. When you took care of those thieves and called me a hero... Thank you. That gave me the courage I needed to go on. The world itself is against me right now."

The Huntress smiled, stabbing her dagger into the table. "What can I say, my charms have been known to do that. But who knows, maybe I'll help you directly along the way some day, just so you know that there are still people willing to fight alongside you."

The Huntress held out her hand, Link taking it in his own larger hand.

"And I look forward to that day."

OOO

"The boy is beginning his true journey," said a deep voice, and evidently from his gravelly tone it was a male who had spoke.

"He won't get far, not if I can help it!" declared a semi-psychotic voice, following it up with a rather demonic laugh.

"Silence. You know we are not to intervene until given the order," commanded a voice that sounded like the combination of hundreds of others at once.

"But when that order is to be given, time has yet to tell. I grow tired of waiting. When are we to move?" asked a dark voice, the sound of bored sighing following. "There is nothing to do but wait. I wish to test the new power I have..."

"Dark Realm if I fuckin' know," said a familiar voice. "It's not like the author tells me this shit. Hey, Oni, what happens next?"

Enough of that.

The five voices were silenced by an exceedingly powerful voice that echoed throughout whatever structure they were standing in, his authority over the others being obvious.

"Enough! No one is to attack until I say so, and anyone who dares to defy my order has to face punishment by none other than myself. Do I make myself clear?"

The other five voices were silent, though the final voice asked again, "Am I clear?!"

"Yes, Sir."

"Fine."

"Of course."

"If I must."

"Sure, fuck it. I got nothin' better to do."

"Good," declared the leader of the group. "Besides, there is still more I need from that boy. And once I take it from him, I'll take pleasure in being the one to rip his heart out with my bare hands."

* * *

 **AND THE PLOT THICKENS. Thankfully enough, it appeared that Kain was still alive. Also, I'd like to point out that the Gohman part was a little joke by Reclusive Dork. It gave me a laugh, so I decided to put it in. But regarding the Gohma, it makes you wonder what that coin was in order to do that to a Gohma to make so much more dangerous... You'll find out soon.**

 **Just not yet.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	9. Virtus Kin

**So, last we left off, Link managed to slay that huge spider known as a Queen Gohma! But not only that, the Queen had been keeping a certain red-haired bounty hunter captive by the name of Kain Borne, and Link managed to bring him home safe and sound. Yay! Anyway, let's just go ahead and slide into the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Virtus Kin

"Ahhh, that hit the spot!"

Kain, after at least ten plates, finally called it enough. He'd nearly cleared out the pantries at the bounty office, to boot. Link only had a little food, as he wasn't at the absolute peak of his hunger. He was still trying to stomach everything that had transpired over at Skyview Temple.

"So, you ready to head home, Kain?" asked Link, lowering his mask back onto his face.

"Sure, why not? I'm sure the wife is beyond worried..."

Kain and Abel left with Link following after, though Gerome stopped him.

"Here's your reward for bringing Kain back," siad the larger man as he handed Link that bag of rupees, Link taking it gratefully.

"You do realize this is going straight back to Kain and his wife, right?"

Gerome chuckled a little. "I figured. Besides, if you needed cash you'd have come here for more than supplies. Anyway, you'd best be off. I'm sure Mary has more words of thanks than you can count for ya."

"I bet she does," said Link before waving and leaving the bounty office. "Now, where did Kain live again? Somewhere on the eastern thoroughfare, if I'm not mistaken..."

OOO

Link finally managed to catch up with Kain and Abel, meeting them in front of Kain's house.

"Hey, took you long enough," said the Bloodborne before turning to the door. "We've been waiting. It's been what... 11 months? I've been gone for almost a year... But I'm back. I'm finally home."

Reaching up to the door, he knocked. It took a moment for anything to happen, but he eventually heard a quiet, "I'm coming," from inside. Link could hear a few locks being undone, and eventually the door opened, revealing a brunette woman wearing black clothing. Link knew that there was a reason behind her outfit. Those who have lost something typically wear black as a means of mourning. A year believing yourself to be a widow is torturous enough, but even worse when you were rather newly married a little over a month ago. By the time he had gone missing, Mary was with child, too.

The woman, Mary, took a moment to gather herself to look at who it was exactly that had knocked on her door.

"Welcome, what can I help you wi-"

She made direct eye contact with Kain right as she was about to finish her sentence. Her hands flew to cover her face and tears become visible in her eyes.

"K-Kain...?" she whispered, almost as if it were a dream that would end were she to speak his name. She reached out to him, carefully stroking his face. "Is this...?"

"Mary," said Kain softly as he grabbed her hand, holding it with both of his own. "I'm home."

Mary couldn't restrain her self any longer as she threw herself at Kain, wailing as she did so.

"It's been almost a year! But my baby's finally back! I thought you were gone... I didn't want to believe it but I thought you were gone... Thanks the Goddesses I was wrong!"

Kain embraced her tightly as if he'd lose her again were he to let go. "I may have been gone, but I'm back now. And I'll never leave you again, I swear."

Mary couldn't stop crying, though face broke into a wide smile. "You'd better not. I don't want to raise our child alone."

"You mean..." Kain said with a knowing smile, Mary nodding in return.

"You're a father, Kain. Her name is Rose. Rose Borne. Your daughter, _our_ daughter. She's 3 months old... I'm just glad her earliest memories will involve you."

Kain smiled widely and hugged Mary again, this time lifting her off of the ground. "I wanna see her then."

Mary giggled quietly and gestured inside before heading in, Kain and Abel following closely after. Link, however, smiled and turned to leave, though Kain stopped him.

"What, leaving so soon? You can stay," Kain said gently.

"This is a family reunion, and it's not my family. I wouldn't to be a bother," Link said solemnly before trying to leave, Kain still stopping him.

"Look, I know you're still wrapped up about your sister, I get that. But you'll get her back. You got me back, didn't you? But you aren't going to get anywhere secluding yourself from others. You're a part of my family, just as much as Abel, Mary, or Rose. Now come on, kid, just stick around for a while."

Link was about to say something else, but Abel's voice stopped him.

"Hey, Link, why don't you come in and say hi? I'm sure Mary would love to meet you!"

Link sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, I can stick around for a little bit. Not too long though."

"Hey, as long as you just say hi and stick around for a little bit, then I'm fine with that," said Kain, stepping aside so Link could enter.

Kain's house was rather quaint. It was a reasonably sized house for three people, and all of the furniture was nice. Mary had done a surprisingly good job of maintaining it all on her own for the past year.

Link sat down on the couch across from the Bornes, not doing much otherwise. Kain quickly sat next to him and 'lightly' punched him in the arm.

"Mask, hood, off. She's a nice person. It's not like she's going to be gossiping about the bounty hunter who saved my life," said Kain as Link rubbed his arm in pain.

"Alright, geez. You just had to ask." Link made quick work of removing his head accessories, quickly placing his mask in his pouch before Mary got back carrying a small child.

"Here she is, Kain," said Mary as she sat down on the other couch, cradling the child in her arms. Kain smiled and sat down next to her holding his hand out to his daughter.

"Hey there, Rose. Daddy's finally home," said Kain as Rose took a hold of her father's finger. "Hey, she has a pretty strong grip for someone so young!" Kain said as he tried to remove his finger, though Rose wouldn't let go, smiling and making bubbling noises. Kain laughed quietly in return.

"She has your eyes," said Kain as he looked into Rose's soft brown eyes.

"Well, she got her hair from you," declared Mary as she unraveled Rose's shawl, revealing her wispy red hair.

Link smiled and quietly placed the bag of rupees on the table, Mary noticing the subtle action, which in turn drew her attention to Link.

"Oh, hello. Are you a friend of Kain's?"

Link nodded. "We've known each other for quite a time."

Mary narrowed her eyes as she looked at Link, taking a good long look at Link's face, though her gaze was directed mostly at the scar on his chin.

"I've... I've seen you before... Link?"

Link blinked a few times as he pointed at himself in question. "How did you...?"

Mary smiled. "It is you! Did you really forget about when you and Kain used to work together? To think that someone my Kain trained became the Hooded Demon... How have you been?"

Link smiled. "I've been fine, thank you. How have you been?"

Mary looked to Kain, a warm smile gracing her features. "Never better."

Link stood and walked over to the two, looking Rose in the eyes, bringing another smile to his face. "She's adorable."

Rose's attention shifted from her parents to Link, her smile lost to an intrigued gaze.

"L... Li... ing... ink," said the infant before her smile returned, reaching out to Link.

"How in Hyrule..." said Link as he gave Rose his finger, and true to Kain's words, her grip was impressive.

"She's going to grow up to be a strong girl, I can feel it. Just like her parents."

Kain once again 'lighly' slapped Link on the back, throwing him to the floor.

"Or... More like Kain I guess..." said Link in pain from the floor, earning a laugh from Kain and Mary. Mary finally noticed the bag on the table and grabbed it.

"Also, what's this?"

"It's yours," said Link as he stood, brushing himself off. "I got it from the bounty office."

Mary looked at him for a moment before she went to open the bag, though her attention was drawn to a commotion from outside.

"Well, what's going on out there?" asked Kain as he headed to the door, opening it to reveal a massive crowd gathering around town square. In the middle of the ground was a large podium with what appeared to be a Royal Knight standing on top, evident by his gilded armor and weapons.

"Hey..." said Kain to someone rushing by, though in vain. "Hey!" he yelled to another, though they ran past him too. Grabbing a third person, he raised them off the ground to eye level.

"What the Dark Realm is all this commotion about?"

"You didn't hear?" the villager asked. "Virtus Kin has returned from purging Faron Woods of the evil that has been plaguing it! He's the epitome of what a knight should strive for! And haven't you heard? He's the spitting image of the Heroes! Now, let me go! I wish to see for myself!"

Kain, confused, dropped the townsperson to the ground and went back inside.

"What was that all about, honey?" Mary asked after having put Rose back to bed.

"They're talking about some 'Virtus Kin,' saying how he looks like the Heroes... I don't buy it. He can call himself the Hero all he wants, but no one like that exists today." declared Kain before sitting back down.

"I should really get going," said Link quickly before turning to the door, but not before hugging Mary and shaking Kain and Abel's hands. Once he got outside, He quickly put of his mask and hood before making his way to the center of the crowd, looking up to the podium at this 'Virtus Kin'.

"People of Hyrule! I, if you didn't already know, am the Royal Knight Virtus Kin. As most of you know, I have recently gone to Faron Woods to cleanse the area of evil. I have good news!"

The knight, Virtus, drew his sword and held it skyward triumphantly.

"I have succeeded!"

The crowd cheered wildly, flowers being flung from nearly every direction. Link took this time to truly inspect this 'Virtus' character. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did bear a great resemblance to the Heroes, though there were subtle differences. His hair, instead of being the pure blonde, nearly gold bore by the Heroes, had wisps of white, and his hair color was overall lighter. That, and his eyes, instead of being pure blue, had traces of silver throughout.

"Hey!" said Abel as he made his way to Link, having seen the same differences Link had. "This guy's not the Hero!"

"How dare you?!" shouted someone from the crowd, throwing a stone at him, hitting him in the back of the head.

"Who are you to try and deny our Hero!" called another before throwing another stone. Link caught that one, however, dropping it to the ground in annoyance.

"And who are all of you to crucify someone for voicing their opinions?" said Link in rage.

"People, people, it is quite all right. Some just don't wish to accept the reality that I am the one who will stand in the face of evil. Leave him alone."

"Anything for you, Chosen One!" called another citizen before Abel was dragged out of the crowd by some citizens who ignored Virtus' order.

"However," said Virtus, "I see there are those of you who still doubt me. Is this not enough?"

He raised his sword again, Link finally taking note of what it was. In his hands was none other than the Master Sword, the weapon of the Heroes themselves. But, it seemed different from the legends... The cross guard was instead of blue a deep golden color, the gem itself being blue, and the blade was silver instead of white, and it didn't give off the holy light that it was supposed to. Staring intently at the sword, his attention was drawn to Virtus, who in turn was staring at Link. Their eyes met, and Virtus' triumphant smile faded a solid margin.

"You..." he said before aiming the sword at Link. "So, the Hooded Demon. Just the man I was looking for. Rumor has it that you are the only one who can possibly match me in a duel. I wish to put those rumors to rest! The public needs to know that they're Hero is the best that he can be, better than anyone else!"

Link's eyes widened as the people around him backed off, making a rather large circle around Link.

Virtus, his smile returning, jumped off of the podium, landing gracefully.

"I Virtus Kin, challenge you to a one-on-one duel to the death!"

Link began laughing afterwards, his Demon persona finally asserting dominance.

"Who are you to challenge me? Hero or no, an upstart knight couldn't hope to best me. I've had years of experience, more than anyone my age should have. Today, I offer mercy by denying your challenge. But next time," said Link as he drew his own sword, aiming it at Virtus' neck, "I will not hesitate to cut you down."

"Ha!" cried someone from the crowd. "He thinks that he can beat a Hero of Legend! He thinks that a mere mortal can beat the descendant of a man who has defeated gods and demons alike!"

"Why don't we kill him now and be done with it?!" shouted another before hurling a large stone at Link, though Link dodged, the stone instead striking Virtus, causing his forehead to bleed. The man who threw the rock quickly turned the blame back on Link somehow.

"How dare you make Virtus bleed! That's it, kill him! It's not like we need any more bounty hunters anyway!"

The rest of the crowd grew angry, most agreeing with the man's statement. They were about to swarm him when Kain made his way into the crowd, most shocked to see him alive and well.

"Enough of that. Leave him alone. I mean, where would most of you be without him? I know at least a handful of you wouldn't be alive, myself included. It wasn't Virtus who saved me from Faron Woods, it was the Hooded Demon."

"I must agree with Sir Borne," called a new voice, loud and commanding.

The crowd parted to reveal Sebastian Steele himself making his way to the center of town, and he didn't look happy.

"I hereby decree that anyone who who tries to lay as much as a hand on the Hooded Demon will be arrested for attempted murder. Anyone found to still plot to kill him will be arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. And if he is found dead, then anyone found suspect will be hung publicly for committing murder. Do not test me."

"But General Steele, he dared to insult the Hero!" came a voice from within the crowd, Sebastian's angry gaze turning almost immediately in the direction the words came from.

"Did I not make myself clear? Or do you intend to still preserve the 'Hero's' image? In that case, I have the authority to arrest you right here, right now!" he yelled.

The crowd around the woman who had spoke dispersed, leaving her alone to feel the weight of Sebastian's glare. With fearful tears in her eyes she ran, the rest of the crowd retaining their new positions.

"Good. Now, this area is to be cleared! I will not have any more of this gathering since it is well on the way to becoming a riot! Disperse now or face capital punishment!"

Reluctantly, the crown dispersed, leaving no one left but Kain, Sebastian, Link, Virtus, and the few knights who had accompanied him.

Sebastian shook his head in disappointment before heading over to Link. "I apologize for the way the citizens reacted. They merely found false hope in Virtus. And I apologize for the way he acted as well. He has always been against bounty hunters being allowed to do work he feels is strictly for the knights."

"It's quite all right," said Link before turning his gaze on Virtus, whose displeased gaze became visible. "It's not your fault men like him exist."

Sebastian smiled for a moment before turning to Virtus. "Even if the public finds you as a Hero, that does not mean I will treat you as one. Mess hall duty for the next month."

"What?!" said Virtus in shock as his attention was brought to Sebastian. "But, that's not right! It should him punished, not me!"

"Yes," said Sebastian, turning to Link in contemplation. "I should leave the man who started a mob to kill a man alone whilst punishing the man who would have died. At least recognize when you are in the wrong, Virtus. Two months. Feel lucky knowing if you weren't in the Royal Guard, I could have had you executed already."

Virtus merely sheathed his sword, turning back towards the castle. "There are others who agree with me. Know that the monster you refer to will soon be brought the punishment he rightly deserves. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it."

With that, Virtus left, his following of knights following closely after. Link shook his head, still hung up on what just happened.

"Well, I'll have to say goodbye for now. I need to find Abel. He was dragged off a few minutes ago. Thank you."

"No, thank you," said Sebastian. "Though there are few who would believe it, I know Virtus is not the next Hero. You are. He merely read the legends, finding the think he could replicate the easiest. You yourself don't replicate the Hero- You are the Hero down to a point. You've done great things. I know what you did back at Faron Woods. I knew you were knight material."

Link shook his head before running off, leaving Kain and Sebastian alone.

"So, you really think Link's the next Hero?" asked Kain, walking up to the other man. Surprisingly, Kain was pretty much the same height as Sebastian, a claim not many could make.

"With all of my being. Virtus is a skilled knight, no doubt, but even he doesn't possesses the skills or bravery to challenge a Queen Gohma. Not many people in this world can. Not even you, Bloodborne," said Sebastian, staring off into the distance.

"I guess you're right. I never really thought about it that way," said Kain in understanding.

"But regardless, if Link truly is the Hero, that means evil is approaching. We can't just leave ourselves defenseless."

"Wait are you...?" asked Kain, Sebastian nodding in response.

"I am going to prepare this world for war."

* * *

 **So. Yeah. Virtus Kin's here. ANyway, I decided to add the whole 'false prophet' thing because it seemed like it made so much sense, and I'd honestly hate myself for not adding it. Virtus looks pretty much like Link, aside from the white-ish hair and silver-ish eyes. And his Master Sword is a palette swap from the original. But anyway, that was all I had to say.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	10. Resistance Isn't Futile

**Well, let's recap, shall we?**

 **Last time, it was revealed that a man by the name of Virtus Kin paraded around, claiming not only to have been the one to purge Faron Woods, but also to be the Hero himself. What gall, am I right? Anyway, Link left Sebastian and Kain to try and help out Abel, who done got mobbed by some idiots who didn't listen to the one person they were listening to. Isn't that dumb of them? Anyway, let's slide into the next chapter here, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 10

Resistance Isn't Futile

Link made his way through the streets of Castle Town, tracking even the most subtle signs leading to Abel's whereabouts. He was led to a small alleyway on the Southern thoroughfare near an old bar that supposedly existed around the time of the Hero of Twilight, fittingly renamed the Twilit Tavern when ownership was passed to the first owner's daughter, a kind woman who came to know the Hero personally thanks to her mother's involvement in the Twilight War against the King of Evil, as she was a trusted ally. Her name escapes him though, but it isn't really all that important. He did know that started a tradition of passing the bar unto the firstborn daughter, or at least the most trusted young woman assuming they bore no females.

Making his way down into the alley, he saw a group of people holding Abel, and one was cracking his knuckles.

"How dare you try to denounce the Hero like that?" said the one cracking his knuckles before beginning to wrap them with fabric, both to protect them and to hit harder. "All he does is get born to save us, even join the Royal Guard, and you have the nuts to say he isn't the Hero?" He said, finishing up wrapping his knuckles experimentally opening and closing his hands, nodding in satisfaction.

"Are you so blind as to just blindly follow someone because he calls himself the Hero? The Hero was brave and selfless! He didn't parade himself around, telling everyone that he was the Hero! He just did what he could for the people! All Virtus has done is lie and try to get others killed!" Abel retorted, earning a hard punch in the face.

"You shut your mouth! Virtus _is_ the next Hero, you just don't want to believe it! You've caught yourself up on the lies that the Hooded Demon has been telling you!"

"And what lies are those exactly?" Link asked, making his way down the stairs in the alley.

"Just the guy we wanted!" said the man who punched Abel before he approached Link, rolling his shoulders. "You tried to say Virtus wasn't the Hero as well. Maybe you'll wanna take that back?"

"Why? He isn't the Hero, not even close. His hair and eyes are wrong, his sword isn't the real thing, and he's cocky. He couldn't be that much more off the mark."

The man seethed, running to punch Link, though his hand was caught and he was thrown into a wall hard enough to knock him out. The other two dropped Abel, who spat out some blood when he hit the ground. They tried to attack Link, though he proved to be much more skilled than them, using them to knock each other out by bashing their heads together, shortly afterwards going down to Abel and helping him up.

"You all right?" he ask as he brought him to his feet, dusting him off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Abel said, wiping the blood from his mouth and chin. "I mean, I still have all of my teeth, at least."

"What's going on out here?" said a feminine voice from the door of the bar. Link and Abel turned to the bar to see the current owner standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.

She was a smaller woman, though she was still reasonably tall, and she looked to be in her early to mid twenties. Her hair was a deep blue, which was rather uncommon, even among Hylians, and her eyes were a lively golden color. She wore a typical barkeep outfit, a white blouse ending just bleow her elbows with a tight leather vest over that, black leggings tucked into brown leather boots, a wrap around her waist matching her hair in color, and black leather gloves. She wore golden jewelry in the forms of bracelets on her left wrist, a few necklaces, and small earrings.

"Hey, hurry up, I don't have all day! I've got customers, you know! Now what are you doing out here?"

"It's nothing, milady," Link said, bowing to show his respect. "Just a disagreement with a few of the townsfolk. It's been resolved."

The bar owner looked to the stairs, seeing the unconscious forms of the men who took Abel.

"You sure they aren't just drunk? That's usually the spot they pass out on their way back to their houses."

"I'm quite sure," Link replied. "But, as I said, it's all over now, so we'll be on our way."

"Hold on a second," the barkeeper said, shifting her weight to her other leg. "I know you from somewhere. Where was it again...?"

"I don't believe we've ever met, ma'am," Link clarified, but the shopkeeper held up her finger to signify silence as she thought.

"Just not in person. You a bounty hunter?"

"Yes," Link responded.

" _That's_ where I know you from! You're the Hooded Demon, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," Link responded, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. This woman knew quite a bit more about him than he knew her.

The woman stepped closer, holding her hand out to Link. "My name's Elvira White. I'm a friend of Mary's. Word around is that you brought Kain back to her. That true? Most people seem to think Virtus brought him back, but I don't buy it. Damn good knight, but not good enough to do something Kain couldn't do. So, what brings someone like you here?"

"Nice to meet you," Link said, shaking hands with Elvira. He was surprised by her grip, firmer than any other woman he'd ever met. "It's just that those three didn't really like my friend Abel here, so I had to come and save him."

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too," cut in Abel, "And no, it wasn't Virtus who saved my brother. It was the Hooded Demon," Abel finished, gesturing to Link.

"Wait, you're Kain's brother?" Elvira asked. "Can't see it. He's definitely a lot bigger than you."

Abel slumped over in defeat. "Yeah, I know," he said.

"Anyway, why don't you two come inside for a bit? Mary's in there, if you wanna say hi."

"We'd love to," said Link as he went to the bar, patting Abel on the back as he passed him, heading into the bar.

The moment he stepped foot in the bar, the entire populace stopped what they were doing and just... looked at him.

Link merely looked around for a moment, finally seeing Mary, now dressed in more casual clothing than what she usually wore in mourning, sitting at the bar. She waved to him, having him sit next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked politely as he sat down.

"Well, I left Rose with Kain because I wanted to say hello to Elvira. Have you ever met?"

"Just did," said Elvira as she came back into the bar, Abel awkwardly walking in after her. He wasn't of drinking age, so he felt super uncomfortable at a bar. "So, can I get you anything to drink? We've got all the standards: Beer, vodka, tequila, wine. We've also just recently gotten a shipment of Kakariko Ale, if that's what you fancy."

Link shook his head. "I don't drink."

"Well, there's always a time to start!" said Elvira, setting a glass in front of him. "Go ahead, give it a try! It's a lighter make than anything else I've got, so it has less alcohol than anything else. It tastes the same, really, just makes you a little tipsy, even if you're a lightweight."

Link shrugged, removing his mask and grabbing the glass, taking and experimental sniff of the new drink. Satisfied, he downed it in one go, as that's how he knew shots worked. Setting the glass down, he nodded.

"Well, that was... _interesting_ to say the least."

Elvira laughed, then looked up to see that everyone was still staring at Link in silence.

"What are you all staring at? Either focus back on your food or get out!"

Reluctantly, the patrons went back to doing what they were doing before, though a few rogue glances still found their ways to Link.

"Don't mind them," said Elvira. "Just backers of Virtus'. But I made sure they knew that anything started over politics wasn't going to be tolerated, so if anyone tries anything, they're headed straight to the knights."

"I doubt that will stop them," Link said, turning to one man that had yet to stop staring at him, an older man with a full white beard and no other hair. "After all, Virtus couldn't keep a few guys from trying to beat Abel, so I'm sure your rules wouldn't do that much."

"I hear you," Elvira said, nodding. "But, there's a few folks out there that'll keep they're distance from that threat. Dark Realm, there's a few that don't need it. Some of 'em agree, the knights aren't right."

Link nodded in approval. He knew plenty of people like that back at the bounty office. That was the main reason most people became bounty hunters; They didn't trust the knights.

"Well, at least we can trust people like Kain," said Link, Mary and Abel nodding in return.

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret," said Elvira, leaning closer to Link. "There's a group of folks that have been around since the Hero of Twilight. They're few in number, but by the Goddesses can they handle themselves. They call themselves 'The Resistance," and I let them use my bar as a base after hours, also been a thing since the Hero of Twilight. Speaking of which, it's about closing time."

Elvira quickly headed out in front of the bar, clapping loudly to get everyone's attention.

"All right, folks, it's that time! Finish up everything you've got and head out!"

A few folks left immediately, though some took a bit more time to leave. However, four of them remained, among them the older man who had been staring at Link.

"Say hello to the Resistance, Demon," said Elvira as she gestured to the four, moving to set up a table in a sort of storage room across from the door.

Link looked through the four, two men, two women. For the men, there was the older man, a white-bearded gentleman lacking any other hair, wearing a pair of leather overalls and heavy boots, though he had a pair of gloves and a white long-sleeve shirt. The other man wore a long black coat with a white fur collar with the rest of his outfit hidden by the coat, a black headband, and he had a katana at his back. His hair and eyes alike were green, which was also a rare color among the Hylian people. As for the women, one was clad in sturdy silver armor with her brunette hair held in a ponytail, though her bangs still framed her face, her red eyes scanning Link for weakness. The other woman was quite the opposite, wearing a blue and white checkered dress and white leggings. She wore blue boots ending just below her knees, and she had her sleeves rolled up just beyond her elbows, and she had her soft blonde hair held up in a bun, whatever wasn't held in the bun on the right side of her face, wearing black, half-rim glasses that honestly complemented her blue eyes.

"So, who's he?" asked the older man, crossing his arms.

"Someone important, if Elvira deemed it safe to show us to him," said the armored woman.

"Well, I think he seems nice!" said the blonde woman, who was evidently the cheerful one of the bunch. "That, and he knows how to dress," she said, looking at Link's outfit.

"...Hm..." said the green haired man before sitting at the table, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"Aw, don't mind Tensa," said the blonde girl. "He just has a hard time getting to know new people. I'm Meredith Ferrum," she finished, holding her hand out to Link.

"I'm the Hooded Demon," said Link as he shook her hand, though Mary shook her head.

"No no no, real name. These people can be trusted."

"Ugh. Fine," said Link as he removed his mask and hood, placing his mask in his pouch. "I'm Link Valion."

"Well, Link, allow me to introduce you to the rest of the group!" said Meredith as she gestured to the other people in the Resistance. "This scary lady is Iris Kingston, the older man is Alphonse Erickson, and I guess you've almost met Tensa Kazeryu. He's from a different country, so if he comes off as rude, please forgive him."

"No problem," said Link as he shook hands with Iris.

"Know how to use that sword?" she asked.

"Depends. Do you know how to use yours?" Link asked, noting that she had a sword of her own.

"...I like you, kid," she said before sitting across from Tensa.

"Well, definitely the first bounty hunter to join our group," said Alphonse.

"Sometimes you have to change things up," said Link as Alphonse sat at the table.

"Yay, introductions!" said Meredith, sitting at the table across from Tensa. "You too, Tensa! Say hello!"

"...Hi..." said Tensa, never opening his eyes, keeping his arms crossed.

"Sorry again," said Meredith, sipping at some tea Elvira had provided. "He's never been fond of people. I don't remember the last time any of us have ever had a fulfilling conversation with him."

"I doubt we will," said Alphonse, shaking his head. "But anyway, welcome to the Resistance, Link. It'll be nice to have someone with your experience among our ranks."

"It'll be nice to put my abilities to good use protecting my country," said Link, pulling up a chair to the table they were stationed at, a large map of Hyrule on it, complete with multiple red marks on it. "What are all of these?" Link asked, pointing at the red marks, which there were six of.

"These are areas experiencing certain... problems recently," said Alphonse, looking over the map. "For example, the Gorons of Death Mountain have been saying that a monster has basically taken over their mines, making it nearly impossible for them to mine safely."

"A new monster, huh?" Link said in thought.

"You'd better not be thinking about going to fight it alone!" said Iris.

"If it's anything like a Queen Gohma, I'll be fine," said Link, drawing his sword to sharpen it.

"What are you talking about, kid?" asked Iris. "There aren't any Queen Gohma anywhere from Lanayru to Ordana Province."

"Not anymore, you mean," Abel said, standing near the table. "I was with him in Faron Woods when we were out to save Kain. He had been taken by a huge Queen Gohma, and Link killed it almost single-handedly. Kain only helped a little."

The group blinked in mild surprise after hearing that.

Of course, Tensa did nothing.

"You've actually fought a Queen Gohma and survived?" asked Meredith. "Those things are some tough customers from what I've read. Shells harder than steel, venom that can burn hotter than magma."

"Both true," said Link, "as well as a few other abilities. For instance, they have a very potent venom capable of inducing something akin to possession. Damn monster pumped Kain full of it before I killed it and took... whatever this is," said Link as he fished the strange golden coin from his pocket.

"Whatever this is, it's magical, and it made the Queen Gohma even more dangerous than it already was."

Meredith was about to try and reach out to the coin, though Link closed his hand around it before she could do so.

"And it could likely do the same to anyone else," Link said, staring Meredith down.

"Then how come it hasn't effected you?" Meredith asked, writing some things in a journal of hers.

"That's beyond me," said Link, setting the coin on the table, Meredith getting a better look at it.

"Wait a second... Oh my Goddesses, I think I know what that is!" shouted Meredith, earning a glare from Tensa, though he closed his eyes shortly afterwards.

"First, quiet down a bit please, second, what do you think this is?" Link asked, tapping the coin.

"For that, we'll have to consult my big book of mysteries!" she said as she grabbed a large tome from her bag next to her chair, setting it on the table. "Now, it should be in the Ss..."

Meredith flipped through pages in her tome, occasionally looking up at the coin and then going back to her book. Eventually she cheered quietly and set the book down on the table, facing it to Link.

"All right, it's here on page 317. That's something known as a Starlight Coin, supposed to have been left by some 'Star King' or another a long time ago. These things possess a huge amount of power, though they're unusable in this state. Likely when you killed the Gohma, it's power couldn't simply disperse, and it formed this coin, a physical manifestation of it's power. That means that unless you find someone capable of harnessing that power, it both useless, and harmless," finished Meredith, grabbing the coin. "See? Not a giant monster yet!" she laughed, setting the coin back on the table in front of Link.

"While I would have preferred that you didn't do that, I guess it's good to know that they're safe right now. Maybe the monster that's in Death Mountain has one of these too..." said Link, trailing off.

 _Wait,_ thought Link, _Did she say something about a Star King? But... Marze is from the land ruled by the Star King! Surely, he must know something!_

"All right, I think I have what I needed. I should really be going now," said Link, grabbing the Starlight Coin.

"Wait, you've only been here a few minutes!" said Meredith.

"Surely you could stand to stay a little longer," said Iris, Alphonse nodding in return.

Tensa, however, opened his eyes. "If he feels he needs to leave, let him."

Everyone blinked in surprise. "But, you never talk," said Iris.

"Hmph," replied Tensa, closing his eyes again, though not before nodding to Link, who nodded in return.

"Don't worry, I'll see you guys again," Link said as he got up from the table, heading to the door.

Exiting the building, he grabbed Marze from within his cloak.

"Oh, you have no idea how hard it is to breathe in there," said the Stardrake, taking to the skies.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. What can you tell me about this coin," said Link as he held out the Starlight Coin to Marze, the little dragon stopping the moment he saw it.

"Where did you get that?" Marze asked, lowering himself to get a better look at the coin.

"It came from the Queen Gohma. Meredith says it's a Starlight Coin. Anything else you can tell me about it?"

"There's not much I can say about it, but..."

"But, what?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I might know someone."

* * *

 **So yeah. Now we have even more of a plot. That's always nice, am I right? And yes, I added in the Resistance from Twilight Princess. Don't crucify me. But still, new faces are always nice.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	11. The Blacksmith

**Let's see here... Dododooo... Ah, yes, Link recently met the Resistance, based out of Elvira's bar, the Twilit Tavern. Aren't I creative? But anyway, let's get on with this chapter, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 11

The Blacksmith

"Who's this 'someone?'" Link asked, Marze landing upon his shoulder,

"Someone else who escaped the Tyrranical God of the Stars with me. Finding her won't be easy, but it will be more than worth it if we do. You'll have the power of a Starknight on your side with a single coin, and even more if you're right about the beast in Death Mountain," said Marze.

"All right," said Link. "Well, let's get moving, find this friend of yours."

Reaching into his pouch, Link grabbed his mask, quickly putting back on his equipment such that no one saw his face when he left town.

Once he made his way out of Castle Town and mounted Epona, Link made his way in the direction Marze told him; and that ended up being right behind the castle, which was mildly convenient for him. Heading behind the castle, which actually took a few minutes both due to the moat and due to the sheer size of the castle, he came to what looked to be nothing but a large boulder, though Marze claimed...

"We're here!"

"What? This is a real boulder. Nothing special about this," said Link as he knocked on it experimentally, finding it to be a normal rock.

"You see, due to the whole 'man taking over our world,' we got really good at hiding," said Marze, landing on top of the rock.

"Well then... Wait, what about you?"

Marze laughed. "You said it yourself. Lizalfos have an immensely powerful sense of smell. They found me easily enough."

Link nodded. "But what am I supposed to do? Is he underneath this boulder? Do I have to move this?"

" _She_ is underneath this boulder, yes. You'll have to move it if you want to see her."

"But I'm not anywhere near strong enough to move this..." said Link as he got an idea. "But... Kain might be. Marze, we have to head back to Castle Town."

And with that, Link got back on Epona and made his way back to Castle Town. Dismounting in front of the main gate, he had Marze stay near Epona as he went back inside. He quickly made his way back to Kain's house, knocking on the door.

"What the Dark Realm, it's getting la- Oh, hey Link. What can I do for you?" said Kain as he answered the door.

"I'm going to need your help with something," Link said, gesturing for him to follow.

"Who is it, honey?" Link heard Mary calling.

"It's Link!" Kain responded. "He needs me for something. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Last time you said that was about a year ago," she replied, making her way to the door. "What exactly do you need him for this time?" she asked, cradling Rose in her arms.

"It's just outside of town. I need someone with strength like Kain's in order to move something. Don't worry, I won't be taking him anywhere dangerous," Link explained rather casually.

"Well, so long as you promise me he'll be fine, I guess that's all right," said Mary.

"I promise," confirmed Link as Kain grabbed his knuckle busters.

"What?" Kain asked as he looked at bith Mary and Link, who were giving him 'the look.' "You never know. Plenty of Bokoblins out there."

"And that's why I'm going to be with you," clarified Link as he grabbed Kain's wrist, leading him out of the house.

"Okay, so what do you need me for?" Kain asked once Mary shut the door. "It can't be just moving something, right?"

"Actually," said Link, "that's exactly what I need you for. There's a huge boulder north of town that I need moved, and I don't have the strength to match Gorons. But you do."

"Are you serious?" Kain asked. "I wanted to punch something..."

"How about this; If we come across any Bokoblins or Lizalfos or anything, you get the first crack at them."

Kain smiled as they reached Epona. "I like that idea."

"Good. Now, get on, and let's get going. It should only take us a few minutes to get there."

And with that, Link, for the second time that night, made his way over to the lone boulder, sadly encounter exactly zero monsters along the way.

"So, you need this moved? I think I can do this. Legs, not the back..."

Kain quickly punched a couple of handholds into the stone, once again demonstrating that he was stronger than any other Hylian. He then went to work moving the boulder, which Link quickly realized would take a while.

And right when Kain started was when the monsters decided to show up.

"Damn it," said both Link and Kain simultaneously.

Link and Kain quickly became surrounded by Stalchildren, and there were dozens upon dozens of them. Drawing his sword, Link quickly went to work. Though there were many of them, that was the only dangerous part. Alone, a Stalchild proves almost no threat; most people could best one alone, even without weapons. But in the large numbers they usually come in, only the most skilled of individuals could hope to survive an encounter.

After the first few kills, Link started to see a pattern; they were almost exclusively trying to go for Kain. Likely, they were some form of defense set by Marze's companion in case someone proved able to move that boulder, meaning Link had to focus on protecting Kain.

It took a little while, but Kain eventually got the boulder completely off of the ground, and quickly hurled it at a large group of Stalchildren, crushing all that he hit under the stone's immense weight.

"Whew. That thing was heavier than it looked," said Kain in mild surprise as he cracked his back. "Also, is this hole supposed to be here?" asked Kain as he pointed to the hole left in the crevice that the boulder had left.

"I'd say so," said Link as he mounted Epona. "Anyway, I'll quick get you back home. Thanks for your help."

"It's fine, Link. I can get there by myself. And, I just want to say thank you for what you've done."

"What do you mean?" Link asked as he got back off of his mount.

"That bag you left at my house. It had over 1,000 rupees in it. A little bit more than Mary had payed for my bounty sheet. You got my reward... and then you gave it right back, and then some. How can I ever repay you? That was just about all my family had when I was taken away, and they gave everything to get me back. Link, you did a whole lot more than kill a monster, you gave my family their lives back. Just... Thank you."

Link smiled, patting Kain on the shoulder. "You can repay me by getting home safely."

Kain patted Link on the back in return, this time not throwing him to the ground. "Meeting you may well have been one of the most important days of my life. Look, I know this might seem sudden, but... Will you be Rose's godfather?"

Link was speechless. "What about Abel?"

"I'll be 100% honest here, I don't really think Abel's ready for that responsibility. But you are."

"Well..." said Link in thought, "all I can say is that I'll think about it. Look, I'm very grateful that you asked me, truly I am, but I just don't know right now. I hope you understand."

"I get it," assured Kain, waving it off. "I don't want you rushing into something you'll later regret. Take as much time as you need, I'm not rushing you. And, uh, good luck with that hole."

"Yeah, thanks," laughed Link turning to the hole in question as Kain left.

"I get the feeling that I'm going to need it," said Link right before he jumped into the hole, Marze flying in right behind him.

OOO

Link woke up after what felt like hours. That must have been some fall to knock him out cold for so long, but when he regained consciousness and looked out of the hole he jumped in, he still saw the starry sky above him.

"Uhhh... How long was I out?" Link asked Marze, who was circling above him.

"Few minutes, at best," replied Marze as he landed next to Link. "But, you're awake now, since let's get moving."

Link shakily stood, a slight headache presenting itself. It subsided after a moment though, leaving him to enter the underground cave ahead of him unhindered. He saw the torches lit the walls, though instead of an orange flame, each was ablaze with golden fire.

"Well, this is new," said Link.

"Not really," Marze quickly said, flying in front of him. "This is just Starfire. It's simple enough to fabricate where I come from."

Link gave Marze 'the look' like he and Mary gave Kain. "We aren't exactly at home, Marze, we're in a cave in Hyrule. Remember that I don't know everything about your homeland."

"Fair enough," replied the Stardrake before flying down the cave and out of Link's sight. Link waited a while before continuing on, thinking that maybe Marze would come back after a little bit.

He didn't.

"Sometimes I wonder if the Heroes had to deal with things like this," Link said, annoyed as he went further into the cave. Removing his mask and hood, he cracked his back, still a bit stiff from the fall earlier. It wasn't that far of a walk before he came into a small cavern at the end of the cave, lit by a huge body of golden Starfire at the back of the room alongside what appeared to be... sword blades?

Link stepped forward and grabbed a blade, admiring the craftsmanship of the blade. He could tell that this blade was nearly done, all that needed to be done was add a cross guard, handle, and pommel. He drew his own sword for comparison, finding that the blade near the fire was was actually more well balanced even without the pommel.

"I wouldn't mind one of these for myself," said Link as he sheathed his sword, still holding onto the blade.

"Well, how much are you willing to pay?" said a new voice, feminine in origin.

Link quickly raised his hood, looking around for the source of the voice. He quickly found said source, a white-haired young woman with golden eyes. She wore a golden dress with a low cut, exposing the fact that she wore a white undershirt, around her waste was a leather apron, white in color, and her gloves were of the same appearance as her apron. He dress didn't go very low, ending just below her knees, revealing silver greaves. Evidently, she took her work seriously. Speaking of armor, she also wore a silver breastplate only covering her chest.

"So, can I ask how you got here? From my studies, no Hylian should have been able to move that boulder. And even then, you got past the Stalchildren. Strong, skilled, smart... So, who do you work for?" the woman asked as she drew an elegant rapier from her side. Link had no idea how he missed that, but you know.

Link set the blade down, holding his hands up. "No one. I'm not here to hurt you."

"That's what they said before they murdered the King," she said as she stepped forward, aiming the tip at Link's neck. "You're a crafty bastard, you know that, Dark Link?"

Dark Link?

"What? No no no, I'm not Da-"

"Silence!" she yelled, pressing the blade against his throat. "You can hide your face, but you can't hide your voice!"

"Just..." Link said, "give me a second. Let me put down my hood."

She thought for a moment. "Fine. But first.." she said as she grabbed Link's sword, tossing it to the side. "You won't need that."

"I understand," Link said as he slowly pulled down his hood, the woman narrowing her eyes.

"What... What sorcery is this? You look the same, but... Your hair, your eyes... and I'll admit, even your tone is different..."

Link rose his eyebrows, only for the woman to angrily push him to the ground, aiming her rapier at his throat, pressing the blade against his neck, drawing blood.

"Those tricks won't work on me, you murderer! I'll kill you slowly, just so you can feel the pain that my people felt."

Link sighed. "I don't have time for this."

She was about to do something when Link pressed the back of his neck flat against the floor such to get the tip away from his throat as he pushed it to the side, knocking the woman off balance and taking the sword from her as he stood. However, instead of aiming at her like he usually did in situations like this, he handed it back to her.

"Just hear me out, okay? Look, I'm not Dark Link. My name is Link though. I guess that doesn't help me... Um, okay okay, if I were Dark Link why wouldn't I use that silver sword? Clearly it's stronger than that... mortal sword? Though, I guess if he'd have gone through the trouble of changing his hair and eyes, he'd use a different sword, too... I'm not getting anywhere, am I?"

The woman sighed, sheathing her rapier. "Sadly, you did when you handed me back my rapier. Even my weapons can't draw blood from someone like Dark Link, not with as little force I put behind it. So, Link, huh?"

Link nodded, grabbing his sword off of the ground, sighing when he saw scratches on the blade. She had thrown it past a few of her own sword blades. However, the ones it had hit received absolutely no damage.

"Yeah, but, can I see one of these blades?" Link asked as he pointed at the blades the woman had forged.

"Didn't you see one earlier?"

"Yes, but," Link said as he held the sword up, "I never decided to see how durable they were!"

Right after he finished speaking he spun the sword such the tip faced the ground, stabbing it into the stone without much resistance. Pulling it from the ground, he inspected the blade, nodding to see that it bore no damage whatsoever.

"Tell me- Could you part with one of these blades once they were done?"

"I don't sell my works to anyone from other worlds. I learned that the hard way," the woman replied, taking the sword back from Link.

"Well, what if that otherworlder swears to use it to liberate your world?"

The woman looked at Link much like Iris did, scanning him for weakness. "What reason do I have to believe that you could possibly do it?"

Link reached into his pouch, grabbing the Starlight Coin. "This reason," Link said, holding out the coin. The woman tensed up, backing away from Link.

"How in the world did you...? No, that can't be real. That shouldn't exist!"

Link held it out, the coin giving off a subtle glow in the dark room. "It looks pretty real to me," said Link as he flipped the coin.

"Where did you get it?" the woman asked, not willing to get any closer to Link.

"Here in Hyrule. Got it from a little something called a Queen Gohma. Now, what can you tell me about this coin?" Link asked, sitting at a table he found in the dark.

The woman looked at Link for a moment before sitting at the table across from him. "That's what you'd call a Starlight Coin. They possess power like you wouldn't even imagine. No Hylian could."

Link shook his head. " _I_ know more than that. Come on, Marze told me that you could give me more than a name and that they hold power."

The woman looked up at Link in shock. "You've met Marze? You could have led with that, you know."

"Strange. I would have thought he'd told you. He flew in here before I entered."

"I didn't see him," said the woman.

"That's because," said the very same little dragon in question as he flew into the room, "I thought you had climbed back out the hole. It's been a while, Ms. Reinhart."

The woman, Ms. Reinhart, laughed. "Yes it has, Marze. So, this is the one you found?" Reinhart asked, gesturing to Link.

"Yes. I know he doesn't look like much, but he's much more capable than he looks. He got that Starlight Coin from a monster that had absorbed it's power somehow, and from what I understand the monster that did was extremely dangerous even without it. He did it almost singlehandedly. I think we have something to work with here."

"That's all I needed to hear. You, Link, you said you wanted one of my swords?" Reinhart asked, getting up from her seat.

"That would be nice, yes."

"Well, I can do better than every weapon in this room if I need to. My name's Petra Neinhart, Royal Blacksmith. Give me 3 days, and I'll give you the best sword you've ever swung."

Link stood and held out his hand, Petra taking it in hers.

"I think we have the start of something great here. But, can I ask for something else as well?"

"And what might that be?" Petra asked as she released Link's hand.

"I'm going to need a shield with that sword."

* * *

 **Hehehe. Two days and then BAM, new update! I'm on a roll! But yeah, thanks to summer brake, I have WAY more time to write, and I'm using every second of it. And it feels _good._**

 **OniHelix out!**


	12. Sparks

**Ah, blacksmiths. Where would society today be without them?**

 **Probably in roughly the same place, though we wouldn't have a lot of the cool things we have now.**

 **But who cares, she makes stuff for us, and that's nice.**

* * *

Chapter 12

Sparks

Link had quite the time to kill. Three day's worth of time, to be exact, before he received his next piece of equipment for his quest, that being a new set of weapons.

So, he asked himself, what would be the best way to spend that time?

The answer to that lay within the fiery depths of Death Mountain, home of the Gorons.

Link was currently nearing Kakariko Village on Epona, Marze resting comfortably on his shoulder.

"So, where are we headed to next?" asked Marze, as Link had merely saddled up and headed off after leaving Petra's forge.

"Death Mountain. I wanna check out the Goron Mines about that monster that invaded them. It might have another Starlight Coin. Maybe the other 5 problem-having areas have monster bearing Starlight Coins... Well, I guess if I'm going to fight God-like beings, equipping myself properly using those wouldn't be a bad idea..."

"Just be careful," said Marze. "Starlight Coins can be very dangerous if used improperly."

"Them I'll just use them properly," Link said with a smirk.

Marze rolled his eyes. Kids these days, he thought.

And with that, Link continued on his way to Kakariko. After all, he needed to gear up before heading to Death Mountain, an active volcano of all places.

Riding into town, Marze hid under his cloak, as he always did. No one needed to see that little Stardrake, as that would raise too many questions and attention to himself. Stopping near the entrance, he dismounted and took a look around town. It seemed... quieter there this time around. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, up on the cliffs that surrounded the town. He looked, only to see a huge horned figure do what looked like laughing before exiting the area.

Marze saw the figure from the depths of Link's cloak, and he felt the little dragon tense up.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

"That was one of the Five Generals..." Marze said quietly in fear. "The Earth Shaker."

"'The Earth Shaker,' huh?" Link asked, looking up to the cliff. "I might just have a better look at him myself..."

"But no, you ca-!" Marze yelled, though Link cut him off.

"Don't worry, I won't fight him. If push comes to shove, then I'll run. I known I can't face him yet," Link said before heading off to the cliff this 'Earth Shaker' had been standing upon, scaling it quickly thanks to some rather conveniently places vines. Reaching the top, he didn't see anyone standing there, only a strange statue standing near 12' tall, not including the large pedestal it was resting upon.

"Who in Hylia's name would leave a statue here?" remarked Link as he approached the colossal statue, reading the inscription left there.

 _Hehe. Not today kid. But soon, I'll take pride in ending your life as slowly as I wish. Until next time, Hero._

"So," Link said in mild horror, "that happened."

"Not only is his raw physical strength preposterous," said Marze, "but he also possess command over the earth that defies reason."

"Right," said Link. "Anyway, we should head back down to the village, see what leads we can get on what in Hylia's name is going on in the Goron Mines."

"Agreed," said Marze as Link made his way back down to the main village via the same vines as before. Remembering which house belonged to Remono, the village Shaman, he knocked on the door, awaiting an answer. It took a little while, but he eventually heard locks being undone, resulting in the door opening to reveal a young girl, likely in her early teens, maybe around 14.

"Who..." she said quietly, "who are you?"

"The Hooded Demon," Link responded, bowing a little to show his respect. "Might I ask why the town is so... quiet?"

"That's not the concern of those not from town," she replied, trying to close the door, though Link held it open.

"Is something wrong? Maybe I can help," Link assured, though the girl shook her head.

"We don't need your help!" she shouted, and she was about to slam the door, but another voice from within stopped her.

"Cisia, let... Let him in *cough cough*," said a familiar voice, though weak unlike before.

The girl, Cisia, moved to the side to allow Link through, and he was surprised to see Remono bedridden. He had seemed to be quite a resolute man, but here he was, stuck in bed and ill.

"Remono?" Link asked, kneeling next to his bed. "What's going on in town? Where is everyone? Not only that, but what happened to you?"

"A monster has recently *cough* made its nest in the Goron Mines. Not only has it *cough cough* made it nearly impossible for the Gorons to actually mine, but it has also *cough cough* made going near the mines themselves nearly fatal, some kind of... airborne pathogen that is deadly even to the *cough COUGH* Gorons... *COUGH COUGH COUGH*!" managed Remono before breaking into a coughing fit. Link gave him a moment before he managed to continue. " Many of the villagers had tried to go and help, but those that returned could barely walk. And I heard you say you wanted to help, but I fear that might not be possible. *Cough* The pathogen is almost instantly fatal to Hylains, and even the *cough* Gorons cannot be exposed to it for long before suffering the same fate..."

"Then I'll just find a different way in then," said Link, patting Remono on the shoulder. "Thank you. The information I have now is invaluable."

Remono nodded, coughing once again as Link stood back up. Cisia merely stood in front of the door, scowling as Link walked towards it.

"We don't need your help. I'll fix this all on my own," she said coldly before stepping out of the way, Link leaving. However, before he closed the door, he stared at her with his cold blue gaze.

"I've heard that before. I'm the reason the person who said it still alive," said Link, referring to Abel before he joined him when he blazed Skyview Temple.

Cisia merely glared at him before she closed the door, Link merely rolling his eyes.

"Kids these days," he said before heading off towards the direction he remembered Death Mountain to be in. Making his way up the path, he saw that a large amount of the Goron population had shifted their homes to there, making it mildly difficult to weave his way through.

"Turn back," said an elderly Goron as Link passed him. Link merely shook his head and continued up the slope to the volcano. When he came to the top, he looked around to see some kind of green haze covering the area, and it actually covered every visible entrance to the mines. In fact, it came pouring out of the main entrance, though it was slight darker there.

"So, this is that airborne pathogen Remono was talking about," Link said as he looked around.

"Indeed it is," said Marze as he shifted to Link's shoulder.. "Any ideas?"

"My best guess is that it might be flammable, but I don't have anything to maintain a good fire."

"I might have the solution to that," said Marze.

"What, can you breathe fire?" Link asked.

"No," Marze said, almost offended. "What gave you that idea?"

"N-Nothing..." Link said, still thinking about the Dragon the Hero of Twilight had fought, Argorok, a cataclysmic being capable of spewing flames as breath.

"What I can do is teach you how to make Starfire, though it may require you to use magic if you can't find the ingredients," Marze said.

"Well, which one would take less time?" Link asked.

"It all depends," said Marze. "Which one would you prefer?"

"Honestly, I'd prefer magic just in case I need to use it again without needing to find the materials," Link responded after a little bit of thought.

"Well, sit back and listen, as this could be more difficult than necessary if you miss even a single detail."

OOO

"So..." Link said mildly confused, "I pretty much just have to snap my fingers while concentrating?"

"Well, without a specific Rune, all you'll be doing is, well, snapping you fingers," Marze explained.

"Well, what about this Rune?" Link asked.

"Take off your glove," Marze said, Link first taking off his left glove, only to remember the mark upon it.

"Oh, right," Link said with a slight laugh before putting his glove back on, taking his right glove off, holding out his hand. "Here."

Marze took his hand, holding out a single claw. "This might sting a bit," said Marze before he started branding a Rune onto the back of Link's hand, Link cringing a little as he did so. It only took a few minutes, but eventually Link looked at Marze's handiwork, an intricate emblem emblazoned upon the back of his hand with a small star at the bottom.

Link poked it, cringing a little. "That kind of hurt," Link said as he put his glove back on, experimentally opening and closing his hand. "Huh. I don't feel any different."

"Well, all the Rune does is focus your body's natural magic such that it can be utilized," Marze said. "I haven't done all that much but give your magic a way to be more easily harnessed."

"Well, I'm going to give it a try," said Link as he stood, turning towards the haze that was covering the area. Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers, nothing happening. He tried a few times, but with each time he tried, nothing happened.

"You have to focus," said Marze, though Link sighed loudly.

"I am, but," he snapped again with the same result, "nothing's happening!" he shouted, snapping once again.

"Well, what are you thinking about?"

"Fire. Just igniting the gas," Link responded as he kept snapping.

"That might be the problem. Think about what's important to you. Think about your sister, Ryla."

That really got to Link.

Memories of his sister quickly entered Link's mind, though they were quickly replaced by the memory of Dark Link taking her.

Angry now, Link snapped again, this time releasing a sizable golden blaze from his fingertips.

"Whoa!" he said in surprise, staggering back as the fire exploded from his hand. He watched as it traveled forward, though it stopped before reaching the gas that surrounded the area.

"Well, that was disappointing," Link said as he got a little bit closer, though the disgusting scent of the gas prevented him from getting too much closer. With another snap, he sent another wave of flames at the gas, and though he was sure it reached it this time, there were no signs that the gas ignited at all.

"Damn it," said Link as he snapped a few more times, his fire still doing nothing except creating little pockets in the gas. "Well, there goes all of my ideas," said Link as he sat down. "You got anything?"

"Well, though the fire was still a good idea, you might need something new," said Marze as he returned to Link's shoulder.

"And what might that be?" Link asked, sending a few random sparks off to experiment with his new spell. "Hehe. Sparks," he said, inadvertently naming his new technique.

"Something known as a Crest. They're relics from the Land of the Stars that might be helpful in this situation. In particular, you might want the Tempest Crest. It should purify any polluted air you come across, letting you breathe without worrying about being poisoned."

"Where is the Crest, then?" Link asked.

"Well, you might not like this, but the Tempest Crest was with Petra last time I checked, so you'll have to head back to her forge to get it, and it might not be cheap."

"I guess I'll just have to deal with that then," said Link as he turned back towards the exit to the area, once again walking past the Gorons, who marveled at the fact that he was still alive and well.

Making his way back to Epona, he rode back up through eastern Hyrule Field and through Castle Town. Luckily, even though he saw Virtus as he rode through town (Riding through Castle town was allowed yet frowned upon if there was no good reason), Virtus didn't notice him, so he went without an altercation. Reaching the spot for Petra's shop, he saw that instead of the boulder, it was now a well-built shop with a sign that read 'Mistress Reinhart's,' Link remembering Petra's last name to be Reinhart.

Knocking of the counter, it took a moment before Petra made her way up some stairs in the back, holding a bundle over her shoulder.

"Welcome to Mistress Reinhart's, how can I he- Ah it's you," she said with a small smile. "I know I just saw you yesterday, but it's good to see that you're still well. So, what can I help you with? Here to check on the progress on your sword and shield?"

"No, actually," Link said as he lowered his hood and mask. "I might need something from you."

Petra was slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"I need something called a 'Tempest Crest' in order to help some people out. There's a large amount of some poisonous gas surrounding the Goron Mines, preventing anyone from entering. I need to Tempest Crest to enter and see if I can't fix it."

"The Goron Mines?" she asked. "In that case, of course!"

"What?" Link asked. Was it really going to be that easy?

"Yeah!" she responded, rather cheerful now. "The materials from the Goron Mines are like nothing that I've seen before! They make the hardest yet lightest weapons I've ever crafted. Even the gear I'm forging for you is made of Goron-mined metals. Even then, they mine so much of it that it's actually pretty cheap, so it's very nice. I might even permanently set up shop here, as ever since I opened the store, people have been willing to spend quite a great deal even for my more mediocre works."

"Oh, so you're selling your weapons now?" Link asked, surprised.

"Well, I have you to thank for that. I thought that if you were willing to risk so much for my world, then... maybe Hylians truly are a nice people. Especially you. I'm glad I got to meet you, Link," Petra said, smiling.

Link merely blushed. "But, um, uh, so, uh, what about that sword of mine?"

Petra laughed a bit at his response. "Hehehe, I'm just teasing. It's going fine. I'll go grab it and the Crest from my main forge downstairs. You can come with me if you want- I remodeled!"

Link shrugged and followed Petra into her shop through the side door and down the stairs, as now there were stairs.

"I wasn't even gone for a day," Link said as he marveled at the now presentable area- it looked like the inside of a house now instead of a cave. "How did you possibly manage this?"

"You think Marze and I were the only ones to escape? A friend of mine, a stonemason, managed this thanks to some magic. Speaking of which, can you use any magic? Just curious."

"Only a spell Marze taught me a little bit ago. A little bit of Starfire."

"He already trusts you that much? You really are something, Valion."

"No, I'm nothing special," said Link, blushing once again, Petra laughing once again.

"Wow, you don't have much experience with girls, do you?"

"Only my sister," Link responded.

"Oh you have a sister?" Petra asked. "I think I'd like to meet her sometime."

"I- You can't," Link replied sadly. "She was abducted by Dark Link."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-!"

"Petra, it's fine," Link said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You had no way of knowing. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"It's just," she said, "I feel really bad now... I'm really sorry."

Link rolled his eyes and walked past her. "I told you, it's fine. I'm going to get her back someday. No matter what, I'll protect her like I always have."

Petra found herself becoming even more fond of Link. He truly was a man who would protect what he loved with everything he had.

She felt her face grow hot. She wasn't blushing... was she?

Quickly catching up with Link, they entered the main forge, what Petra claimed was for her real projects; the forge on the ground floor was for standard sword for standard people. Grabbing a golden blade from the forge, she held it out to Link. He saw that the shield was next to the forge as well, and it was going along smoothly as well.

"They look good so far, Petra," Link said as he grabbed the blade. Though It didn't have a cutting edge to it yet, he could tell the sword was going to be fantastic. The balance was nearly perfect, and it was longer than his current sword, meaning his reach was going to be improved.

"Glad you think so!" she said with a smile. "Oh, yeah, the Crest!" Let me go grab it for you!"

Link smiled and sat down at the table she had set up in the forge, looking around the room. It truly looked nice in there now with the addition of the walls, floor, and ceiling, and even some fine art that really tied the room together alongside some decorative blades.

Petra came back a few moments later with a emerald relic that glowed with a subtle green light much like the Starlight Coin did in gold, though the Crest looked more like it was infused with a variation of the Hylian Crest. Taking it, he strapped it to his belt, as Marze had explained that it needed to be exposed to the polluted air to function.

"Thank you so much for all you're doing to help me, Petra. I don't know how, but I'll do my best to repay you someday."

"Just keep your promises," she said, smiling. "Do that and I'll help you as much as I can."

Link smiled and gave her a short hug before turned back towards the stairs. "You're the best!" he said before running back up the stairs.

Petra merely stood there, a heavy blush on her face.

OOO

Returning to Death Mountain, Link experimentally held out the Tempest Crest to the haze, and to his relief the green air quickly grew clear. Putting the Crest back to his belt, he made his way around the area, clearing as much of the toxic gas as he could, finally making his way to the top of the mountain where the entrance to the mines was.

"Well, here we are, Marze. The Goron Mines. I wonder what In Hylia's name is going on to cause this poison though..."

"We'll find out soon enough," the Stardrake replied before landing on his shoulder, Link taking a deep breath of the (thankfully) clean air.

"Here goes nothing," said Link before heading into the Goron Mines.

In the distance, a familiar little girl was angrily looking at the entrance.

"I'll show them," Cisia said, grabbing a knife from her pouch. "We don't need these foreigners to deal with our problems for us," she said before climbing up to the mines after Link.

* * *

 **And so, we come again to the end of the chapter. But forgive my fangasm about to happen, but...**

 **OMG The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild looks so goddamn BEAUTIFUL! If any of you have yet to see the trailer, YOUR LIFE HAS YET TO BE COMPLETE. I had goosebumps (Chicken Skin as it was so wonderfully named at E3) the whole time... Nintendo, shut up and take my money!**

 **Link's little fire spell, Sparks, is basically Igni from Witcher 3 at this point. It will eventually get stronger, but right now it's just a little bit of fire with mildly limited range.**

 **Also, if at any point any of you guys were reading my stories and you were a bit confused about my explanations for how certain characters looked, I've tried to fix that by posting the links (Hehe) to the original images on my profile. So far, you can see the originals for:**

 **Crazed Blade Oni from Courage of the Earth,**

 **Human Majora from Courage of the Earth,**

 **Minora Terminus from Courage of the Earth,**

 **Kage from Courage of the Earth,**

 **and Sebastian Steele from pretty much everything I've written so far.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	13. The Goron Mines

**All right, let's see here, last we left off, Link had finally entered the depths of the Goron Mines, ready to take on whatever is poisoning everyone.**

 **Let's dive right in, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 13

The Goron Mines

Stepping into the heat of the Goron Mines, Link couldn't help but stagger back a tad bit. Gorons could handle heat like this, but he was just Hylian. Removing his mask and hood, he ventured deeper into the mines. Long ago, the mines had shifted from one of the underground magma pools formed by Death Mountain to the crater itself due to more valuable materials such as Goron Steel and higher power explosives being found within the crater.

Link was currently standing on one of the metal support structures that lined the sides of the colossal opening. Looking up, Link was disheartened to see that the pathogen blotted out the sun from within the crater, whatever rays making their way in being blocked out before they reached the magma below. Speaking of which, Link could see that there was something... moving throughout the magma, as he could see more bubbles in the center than others.

"Looks like we found our monster," Link declared as he began making his way down the spiral.

The Goron Mines were more of a maze than mines. Link saw that there were many locked doors on the way to the bottom, which was actually covered by a large metal grating, likely to keep people from falling into he bubbling magma.

 _Or to keep something in,_ Link thought for a moment.

"All right, let's see here," said Link as he started going through clearing as much of the poisonous haze as he could, as there were no guarantees that when he killed the beast that the pathogen would be purged.

He came to a sort of bridge leading from one side of the crater to the other, and on his end was a sealed door, though on the other was a locked door preventing him from going any further. Walking onto the bridge, he was relived to see that the entry wasn't sealed off in order to fight random monsters. Instead, he was tasked with finding some way to unlock the barred door on the first end of the bridge. To that means, he called upon Marze.

"Hey, buddy, I need you to do something for me real quick," Link said to the Stardrake on his shoulder.

"What might that be?" Marze asked.

"I'm gonna need you to scout the area, see if there's a switch or something to unlock that door," Link said.

"Can do!"

And with that, Marze flew off in order to search for anything that seemed suspicious enough to open a door. He came back a few minutes later with good news.

"Right under the bridge, there's a switch that looks like you can activate. But giving how small the holes in the grating are, I don't think either your sword or bow could reach it..."

Link nodded, raising his hand to his chin contemplation. Right after he went through with such action, he looked at his hand and nodded.

"Got it. Sparks!" he called as he snapped his fingers at the switch in question, triggering it and opening the gate from earlier. Pumping his fist, he ran over to the door and opened it, glad to see there was nothing but a chest and a few pots. For some odd reason, he found the urge to break them, finding that some had money within them, and others some kinds of ingredients.

"Neat," said Link as he put all of his new stuff away, grabbing the small key from the chest and heading back towards the locked door, quickly getting through. Oddly enough, both the keys from Skyview Temple and here both broke after one use.

Definitely strange.

As he continued his way down, he saw that a special type of Keese known as Fire Keese had made its home in the crater. Hence their name, it was only sensible to assume they were engulfed in flames. Quickly getting out his bow, Link let fly several arrow, killing each that he hit with one shot.

"Goddesses, I love this bow," Link declared as he put it back in his pouch. He continued down before coming to another side room off of the crater. Despite the fact that the area ahead was clear of any obstacles, he still went in, simply because you never knew what would happen until it happened.

Entering the room, Link was greeted by a heavy gust, the air in the room being vastly cooler than the air outside it, resulting in the air differential that he felt just them. He deduced that this room must not have been used often. He gave the area a quick once-over, seeing that this was a room filled with Hylian-made gear such as swords and shields. Most of said gear wasn't as well made as his sword and shield, however a few pieces caught his eye.

Going deeper into the room, he grabbed a sturdy iron shield off the wall, and behind it was a large claymore and ax. Usually he didn't consider wielding weapons such as that, but... Well, the world definitely never stayed the same, so why should he?

Grabbing the ax along with the shield, Link left the room, having put the ax on his back for the time being, putting his Demon's Blade into his pouch for now.

"Give this a shot," Link said as he made his way further throughout the mines.

Unknown to him, Cisia was close behind him, having followed him all the way to the mine's depths. She utilized a bandanna tied tightly around her face to keep whatever pathogen was killing her people out of her lungs.

"He didn't have those weapons before... maybe he got them from that room," she said as she quickly slipped in, quietly such that Link wouldn't hear her.

He didn't.

Link merely continued on his way to the very core of the mountain, happy to test his new ax on the beasts that dwelled within. Though it was slower than his sword, it did possess more than enough force to throw nearly anything he hit off-balance with its sheer weight. In the end, he determined it to be a fine weapon.

"I'll definitely keep this," said Link as he shouldered the huge ax. Continuing on, he came across what appeared to be a storage area, though most of the cargo that was there was strewn throughout the area by several Dinalfos, which quickly noticed Link as he got close, flicking their tongues out to catch his scent.

"Well... I won't say no," said Link as he took his ax back to hand. One Dinalfos charged him, though he quickly brought his ax down upon it, taking a limb off and disarming it as it staggered back off the platform and into the volcano below. The other two grew more cautious after witnessing Link best one in a single hit, both charging him at once. One swiped at him, though Link easily managed to block with his ax, though the other attacked while he was distracted. To his luck, however, it struck the iron shield on his back, the blade bouncing off harmlessly. He smirked as he grabbed onto his ax firmly before unleashing a hammer blow spin attack, throwing the other two off of the platform. Smiling at the effectiveness of his new weapon, he looked around to see that there was a table nearby with what appeared to be a map of the mines, somehow untouched by the Dinalfos.

"I'm surprised how much stuff is just sitting around for me to take... I'm not complaining," Link said to Marze, who returned to his shoulder after the fight.

"I know. I find it rather strange," Marze agreed.

"Well, so long as it helps me out in the end, then why should I care?" Link asked as he looked over the map. "According to this, the bottom platform is usually locked off. Additionally, the key appears to be... at the top?"

Link looked up, surprised to see that enough of the gas had cleared due to his presence to see up to the top.

"I need some fresh air anyway," Link said as he began to make his way up.

Cisia had been trailing behind him, and barely had time to hide as he walked past her. From the mini armory, she had taken a short sword fit for a girl her size, as well as a small round shield.

"Why is he going that way?" she asked herself, Link hearing her this time.

"Did you hear something, Marze?" Link asked as he looked around.

"Must have been some mining equipment," Marze stated as he looked around. There were plenty of mining carts that looked ready to move with the slightest touch, some even carrying ore within them.

"I guess you're right. Just keep an eye though, just in case."

"Got it."

Cisia released her breath. Link didn't notice her, leaving her free to keep following him further into the depths of the mines. The moment she got the chance, she'd take Link out of the picture and purge the temple herself to both prove that she could handle herself and that they didn't need people like Link to solve their problems for them.

 _Thank the Goddesses,_ she thought.

Link continued his trek upwards, and once he got to the entrance of the mines he could tell that there was a large metal grating covering the top. Man, the Gorons and their metal gratings.

Before he could reach the top, however, he was stopped by a barred door. Those were always the tricky ones, as he never knew if he had to slay monsters or find a switch.

"Marze?" he said as he gestured to the door.

"Yep," he replied before flying off. It took a little longer than last time, but he still returned with good news.

"There's a switch on the other side of the crater, but there are a few walls with tiny holes that might block your shot."

"Well," thought Link, "how small are the holes?"

"Um... two inches in diameter?"

"Two inches?" Link asked as he grabbed his bow and readied an arrow. "Piece of cake," he said as he found a small gap in the walls that eventually led to a glowing red switch, the same as the one under the bridge. Letting the arrow fly, he was satisfied to hear a loud 'click' as it struck the switch, and the door opened.

"All right, let's go get our key," said Link as he continued up the stairs, Cisia right behind him.

Link got to the top of the volcano, and was quite relieved to both see plenty of sunshine and breath fresh air.

"Ah... I needed this."

"What you need is to leave!" Cisia shouted as she ran after Link with her short sword at the ready. Link just sighed and stepped easily to the side as Cisia tried to swipe at him.

"What are you doing?" Link asked, annoyed.

"P-Proving that Kakariko doesn't need people like you!" she shouted before singing at him again, though Link caught her wrist and squeezed just hard enough to cause pain and make her drop the sword.

"No, seriously, what are you doing?" Link asked again as he grabbed the short sword before she could.

"My father trusts outsiders more than his own blood... By clearing the mines I could prove that we don't need the likes of you!"

Link shook his head and let Cisia go. "And what if you died in the process? What about all of the people who feel the same? One of Remono's own dying would eliminate any chances of any other heroes like you. The reason he has outsiders do this like this is because he can take the pain of losing someone he just met. He can't take the pain of being the reason his daughter has died."

Cisia was about to say something, but she really let his words sink in.

"I-! I guess you're right..."

"Good," Link said. "Now, let's make sure you don't die on your way out."

"Wait," said Cisia as she gestured towards the entrance to the top platform, "we'd need to find another way. That door closed."

"Wha-? Oh, Goddesses damn it," said Link as he grabbed his ax, looking around. From the corner of his eye he saw movement, though when he checked he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. However, Link wasn't going to drop his guard that easily.

"Cisia, stay near me. I can't let you get yourself killed after a speech like that."

"Got it," said Cisia as she hid behind Link. Link kept looking around, eventually making direct eye contact with... a moving wall?

"What the Dark Realm...?" Link asked himself as he approached the wall. However, when he got close enough, he could tell it _wasn't_ a wall when it lashed out at him, Link barely dodging back.

"What am I even looking at?" Link asked as a huge creature that blended in with the wall slowly approached him. It had fur and whiskers, and had a long, slim body with a furry tail.

"Aw, it's cute!" Link heard Cisia yell.

Before it lit on fire, that is.

"Nope, not cute!" Link shouted as he leapt to the side to avoid the huge creature's lunge. "Why is always a huge monster?" shouted Link as he jumped up, bringing his ax screaming down onto the beast's head. Despite feeling that he made solid contact, he could tell that didn't hurt the beast much, and it threw him away before his feet hit the ground. He landed easily enough, and quickly raised his ax again.

"Let's go, you big lug," Link said as he charged in again, swinging upwards at it's midsection in order to topple it. To his satisfaction, it fell on its side and stayed there long enough for him to land a few solid blows on its underside, which he noted to have significantly softer fur. The rest of its fur likely acted as armor to both soften heavy blows and protect against sharp strikes. After a few seconds, however, the beast rose and spun in place, throwing Link away with its flaming tail, lighting his tunic on fire.

"Oh, hot hot hot hot hot!" shouted Link as he dropped to the floor, rolling around to put himself out. It worked, and his tunic received little damage.

"No one lights _my_ dad's tunic on fire and gets away with it!" Link shouted angrily before raising his ax over his shoulder, charging in at the beast. It bit at him, though Link smacked the creature in the face with the blunt side of his ax, staggering it as he smacked it again, knocking it the the ground again, leaving it open for more blows from his ax. It tried to get up, though Link brought his ax down on it right as it tried to right itself, forcing it back to the ground.

"Is he always like this?" Cisia asked Marze, who had joined her while Link fought the beast.

"Nope. This is the first I've seen him this furious," Marze confirmed.

Link leapt again, bringing his ax down hard on the beast. It rolled away this time, having learned that staying close to Link would result in him continuing his enraged assault.

"Burn my tunic, will you?" Link asked again as he charged the beast, which purged the fire from its body in order to repel Link, though he charged through as quickly as he could such that no fire would catch his tunic again, slamming his ax into the side of the beast's face once again, this time hearing a distinctive 'crack' as its head snapped to the side. It fell a moment after than, Link landing one last blow to its underside before it fell, defeated. Shouldering his weapon, Link scoffed at the beast.

"No one burns my clothes," Link stated again.

"Well, that was... something," Marze stated as he landed on Link's shoulder _not_ occupied by the ax.

"It tried to burn my clothes. It needed to die," Link said.

Link was about to say something else when the creature caught fire, burning away to reveal a treasure chest, sitting on top of it... a miniature version of the beast?

"What?" Link asked.

The animal, now the size of a cat, ran away, though Cisia scooped it up in her arms.

"Awww, now it's the size of a kitty!" she cooed as she nuzzled against it. The most disturbing part was that it accepted her affection.

"I have no idea what the Dark Realm just happened," Link said as he put his weapon on his back, walking over to the chest.

"Well, let's see what we have this time," said Link as he opened the chest.

"What? Clothes?" he asked as he pulled a red, black-armored tunic with golden threading from the chest. Also within the chest were a pair of black greaves and gauntlets with golden detailing, as well as a silver mask with golden detailing that would only cover the bottom half of his face when worn. Not only that, but there were also silver underclothes with golden chain mail with a matching cloak.

"Why would I need clothes?" Link asked as he picked them all up, feeling the fabric.

"What the... The cloth feels super cold, like ice. You know what? You guys, uh, give me a minute. I'll be over there," said Link as he pointed to a pile of storage crates.

"Adults," said Cisia as she rolled her eyes, Marze doing the same while mumbling "Hylians."

It took about a minute like he said, but when he came back, he gave off a sigh of relief.

"Whoa... This clothing makes it feel as cool as the forest," Link said as he looked around. "It's almost as if I weren't standing in the middle of a volcano. All right, I admit, I needed this."

"So, are you ready to go?" asked Marze, rather annoyed.

"Yeah, let's go," said Link as he checked his gauntlets. His Demon Armor was much lighter than this new armor, and it was heavier than what could be called medium armor, so it was obviously heavy armor.

Ending his new armor's inspection, he looked around to see a smaller, jeweled chest sitting on a nearby table.

"And that's going to be our key!" said Link as he opened the chest, pulling the key to the lower area from within.

"That should be it. Let's get you out of here, Cisia," Link said as he walked over to the now-open exit from the top. Making their way back to the entrance, Link checked to make sure that the pathogen hadn't spread back to the outside. It hadn't and he was free to let her make the rest of her way on her own.

"Now don't go trying to get yourself killed again, all right?" Link asked as she made her way out of the mines, mini beast in tow.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," she said as she kept walking with her back to him. "I'm keeping Zuba though!" she declared as she held up her little monster, now named Zuba.

"O-Okay?" Link half-asked, not wanting to continue the conversation with the girl who took in a miniature version of a fire breathing creature. Walking back inside, Link didn't hear Cisia's final comment.

"Please save my village..."

"Okay, heading down?" Marze asked.

"Yep," Link responded as he made his return to the storage platform he found the map on, from their continuing down until he came across a mining cart with a track that appeared to make its way down to the bottom of the crater.

"Looks like this thing is going to be our only way down," said Link as he noted the path up ahead had been crushed, meaning he couldn't walk any further. The mining cart, however, seemed to make its way down to the bottom, just not in one straight shot, instead having a few platforms to switch carts. He quickly got it moving, hopping in such to ride it down to the next area. Getting out of the cart, he was disheartened to see that there was a gate in front of the next cart, and on the platform was a dodongo, a fire-breathing creature with a heavily armored skull likely capable of defending even against his new ax.

Of course, he was still going to try.

Before the dodongo noticed him, he quickly ran up and brought his ax down onto its spine, nearly cutting the beast in half and killing it.

"Well, that was quicker than anticipated," Link said in surprise as the gate blocking off the next mine cart opened. Hopping in, he rode down to the next platform, and all that was on this one was a few pots.

"Really? Do I have to break them all or something?" Link asked as he walked up to a pot, only for it to levitate up to eye level.

And then fly towards him and break against his face.

"WHAT THE DARK REALM?!" Link shouted as every pot on the platform flew towards him.

"Owowowowowowowow," was all Link managed to say as the ordeal happened, each pot flying in surprisingly fast to break against his body. The onslaught eventually ended, however, leaving Link bruised.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Link asked, in pain.

"Because you're the Hero," Marze replied, patting him on the one part of his back that wasn't bruised. "Anyway, that was the last one. All there is left is to clear the mines," he explained, as they were on the second lowest level.

Link nodded, hopping into the final cart down to the bottom, rolling it along. He came to the bottom, and got out to stand in front of the massive bejeweled door that stood between him and the beast that had plagued the Goron Mines.

"You ready for this?" Marze asked as Link unlocked the door, stepping out onto the final platform. He looked around for a while, but he didn't see anything.

But he could feeling it.

He felt powerful tremors throughout the entirety of the area, originating from beneath the magma. In the center, he soon saw subtle bubbling, though it eventually escalated to the point of sending drops of molten stone at him, though he managed to get out of the way as a cataclysmically large creature burst from the volcano, appearing to be a huge insect, though it had what appeared to be armor coating its entire body, which was red and fleshy in appearance. The creature looked at Link, several orange eyes staring at him. The beast made its way out of the hole it had made in the grating, crawling such that its whole body was out of the volcano, revealing its immense length, easily enough to cover the width of the crater.

Rearing back at Link, the beast let loose an ear-shattering roar, causing the magma beneath to bubble.

Grabbing the handle of his ax, Link made eye contact with the beast, a determined glare on his face.

"Looks like I don't have a choice... Let's make this count!"

* * *

 **Awwwwwwwwwwww yeeeaaaaaaahhhh! Goron Mines, pretty much done! Aside from one thing, that is.**

 **Just the boss.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	14. Infernal Armored Parasite: Scaldorm

**Ah, dungeons. Those are hard to write, let me tell you. If anyone knows anyone else on this site who does this often and has come to do it second nature, let me know, I could always use some help on my stories no matter how well you guys think I'm doing. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, Chapter 14.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Infernal Armored Parasite: Scaldorm

"What the Dark Realm are you though?" Link asked as he dodged to the side of the beast as it came crashing down at him, punching another hole in the grating between Link and the magma below.

The creature roared again before landing flat on the grating and crawling towards Link, its mandibles going to work trying to catch him. The worst part was that it was fast enough to catch up with him, but there was Link's heavier armor to blame for that as well.

"Damn, and it's fast," Link deduced as it chased him around the room, biting at him.

Link quickly turned with ax in hand to land a blow on its face, thinking that maybe its eyes were its weakness like the Gohma. Sadly, this was not the case as his ax bounced off of its armored exoskeleton. The beast reared back and lunged forward, biting at him again, Link raised his new shield just in time after replacing his ax on his back, opting for defense at the moment. The creature bounced off of his shield, crashing into the ground behind him and getting stuck.

Link took this chance to look the beast over. It was at least 50 feet long, making it a titanic insect. It also possessed multiple legs, more then six, meaning it was some kind of gargantuan millipede. It's entire body was clad in some kind of natural armor capable of blocking even his new ax, though in the joints and other unarmored areas, he could see that its body was red and fleshy. Not only that, but at the end of its body opposite its head was a yellow stinger with a sickly yellow sac likely filled with toxins. Interestingly enough, there were holes in its armor, but their purpose was unknown to Link.

"Would an arrow fit?" Link asked as the creature pulled itself free, but not before Link managed to put a few arrows into the gaps in its armor, though it didn't seem to notice. Link winced at the beast turned around before whipping him with its tail, sending him skidding back.

Catching himself before he hit the wall, he noted that the hit had just taken hurt a lot less that he though it would have, and despite the insect having just crawled out of a volcano, he didn't feel and heat even as it made contact.

"Must be this armor," Link deduced as he grabbed his ax again, rushing the beast. He caught its head with his ax, though he dragged it down the length of its body until he reached its tail, at which point it responded violently and threw its body away from him.

"So, your tail, huh?" Link asked as he ran towards it again, though the beast moved its tail right as Link brought his ax down, coiling itself around him. Stripped of his breath, Link couldn't do much else but stare at the creature that was holding him. It looked back at him before releasing green toxins from the holes in its armor similar to what had been outside, though these ones were thicker. Raising its front legs, it began scraping them together, creating sparks. It was too late before Link realized what was happening as the gases around him detonated. The creature released Link, though when the smoke cleared, he was perfectly fine.

"Whoa!" said Link in surprise. "Didn't I just explode?" He was quite sure that the gas around him had just exploded, but here he was, unharmed. He thought that maybe the armor had something to do with that as well.

"Harder to hurt _and_ fireproof as well? I'll take it!" shouted Link as the creature noticed him still alive. It charged at him, though he dodged to the side and drew his bow, putting a few more arrows into the holes in its armor. Though the explosions from this thing couldn't hurt him, he didn't like the fact that it could spawn poisonous, explosive gas at will. He saw that there were only 12 holes in its armor that could spawn the gas, and they were all near its head. Having plugged up 6 of that holes, he drew his ax again as it turned back to him. He played cat and mouse with it a few more times until all of the holes had been plugged, and then he went to try to land a few more hits on its tail, though its erratic movement prevented that from happening. The creature wrapped itself around Link again, though he smirked as it tried to pump out more fumes, some leaking out of its maw. He wrestled himself free before grabbing a single arrow and dipping it into the lava below before firing it into the insect's mouth, setting off the gases pent up in its body, setting off an internal explosion that shot out a few of the arrows in its armor, but also dazed it long enough for Link to land a few solid blows on its tail, nearly cutting it off. It caught itself before its stinger fell off, moving away from the ax-wielding hero. It experimentally set off some gas to make sure that it wasn't clogged up before charging at Link again. He hit it across the face when it reached him before pulling his bow back out, once again plugging the holes in its armor, this time clogging all of the ones that had cleared in the explosion. The creature had been pumping out gas in rage for a little while, so Link only had to fit another flaming arrow into its mouth, setting off yet another explosion that dazed it long enough for him to finally cleave off the beast's stinger. It roared in pain, but didn't go down.

"That should have killed it," Link said as the beast crawled around in circles for a little bit before diving back through the grating over and over again, making multiple holes that he could fall through if he wasn't careful.

"It thrives in magma..." Link said quietly after it stayed in the magma, not coming back up. "Maybe that has something to do with it staying down there. I don't want to, but I have to check the magma."

Walking over to one of the holes in the grating, he slowly lowered his hand towards the bubbling molten rock, and was reassured when he didn't feel any hotter the closer he got. He quickly thrust his finger in, pulling it out right after than, and was satisfied to see his finger didn't look or feel any different.

"Here goes nothing," said Link as he thrust his whole hand into the fiery liquid, leaving it there. Despite the discomfort of leaving his hand in magma, he didn't feel any other pain.

"I'm not gonna like this," he said as he dove into the volcano. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see that he hadn't burned alive, or felt any pain, for that matter, so that meant that this armor was the real deal, making him fireproof. He noted, however, that he still had to hold his breath, so he didn't have too long to do what he needed to do, maybe a few minutes.

 _Then let's make these few minutes count,_ he thought as he swan to the bottom. Due to the nature of magma, despite being clad in both heavy armor and with a huge ax on his back, he remained pretty neutrally buoyant, being able to swim freely.

 _Heh, swimming in a volcano. Never thought I'd see the day._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and saw the beast resting in an alcove under the lava. He knew that his armor wouldn't protect his bow to the point of keeping it from bursting into flames, though it did seem to prevent his weapon and shield from degrading any, so those were always an option.

Grabbing his ax, Link swam towards the creature, though when he got close, he saw that the armor it had once bore had been purged, meaning he could strike anywhere and get results.

So that's what he did.

He brought his ax down on the monster, though the speed at which he could was drastically reduced because of all of the molten rock. Regardless, it did the trick, and the creature understood that it couldn't escape from Link. Getting back onto the grating, Link barely got out of the way as the creature shot up past him, a large wound in its face after Link's last attack.

"Bring it on," Link said as he stood, raising his ax once more as the beast charged at him, though he shouldered his ax just in time to equip his shield such to ram it into its face to stagger it, allowing him to bring his ax down hard on it. However, when he tried to pull his ax free, he found it to be stuck, so he was forced to leave it there and unsheathe his sword. Though it was faster and allowed the use of a shield, it dealt much less damage, perhaps to the point of dealing no damage. Thankfully, when he slashed at it, he dealt a satisfying amount of damage. It lunged at him again, though he rolled to the side at it bit, slashing it as he leapt up, bringing his sword stabbing down as he impaled its head, the tip of the sword coming out the other side. The beast reared back, though it fell back down to the ground, its body beginning to burn in the golden fire the Queen Gohma had when it died.

"Thanks the Goddesses," Link said as he pulled his sword free, doing the same with his ax and putting it back next to his shield. "And I'm definitely keeping this."

Stepping forward, he claimed his next prize, his new Starlight Coin. It was identical to the last one, so he figured they must all look like that.

"Well..." said Link as he released a pent up breath, "I guess that's that. Let's get out of here, Marze."

"Yeah, lets," said Marze. "It's getting a bit too hot for me in here."

Link nodded, turning back towards the carts that had brought him down.

"Looks like we can't head out that way," deduced Link. The rails were barely wide enough to support his feet, and the ties that connected them were few and far between, as Goron metals didn't require too much of it in order to do the job, so if he slipped and fell, he'd have to make his way back over to the rails.

"Well, I guess if I'm just careful..." he said in thought as he walked over to the rails.

OOO

After about three tries, Link had finally managed to climb out of the Goron Mines, this time without the flying pots, and once again saw the light of day from outside of the volcano. Taking a deep breath, he looked around to see that the green haze had been completely purged from the area. Several Gorons had also taken note of that fact and had started making their ways back into Death Mountain.

"Thank the Goddesses that's been solved," said Link as he rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, we should check out Petra's progress with my weapons, and then head back to the Twilight Tavern to see if any new information about those five other problem areas has surfaced."

"Agreed. Additionally, I want to see how Petra's business has been doing," said Marze as Link walked down the mountain, removing his new mask and hood.

"Me too. She said she had already seen some business for her less masterful works," said Link in agreement as he made his way back to Kakariko Village. Looking around, he saw that people had come out of their houses, some having heard from the Gorons that the mountain had become safe again. Sighing in relief, he looked to Remono's house, though he didn't see anyone coming out, only Cisia sitting out front playing with Zuba.

Stepping forward, she saw him out of the corner of her eye, and got up to greet him.

"Hey, Link!" she said gleefully. "So, how did the mines work out?"

"Well..." Link said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess the Goron can mine again," he finished, a smile coming to his face.

Cisia's smile grew tenfold. "Really?!" she shouted, hugging him. "Thank you! And, um... I'm really sorry for what happened back there. I shouldn't have said what I said and done what I did," she said into his tunic. Link was a solid bit taller than her, and she came up to his shoulders.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Link said as he patted her hair. "So, how's your father doing?" he asked as Cisia stepped back.

"Well," she said as she stepped to the side, "why don't you see for yourself?"

Link smiled, donned his mask and hood since Remono hadn't seen his face, and entered his house, only to see that the shaman was not in bed like he was before. Instead, he was sitting off the the side in a chair, reading a book.

"Remono?" Link said, drawing his attention. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"It is because I no longer need to be. The rest of the toxins still in my body had recently receded, but I do not know why," he explained.

"Yeah, who could really know?" Link said, knowing full well he killed the creature that had been the cause of the pathogens. "Maybe your body finally rejected it fully and purged it."

Remono smiled. "No, I believe this more to be a blessing of the Goddesses. But I must ask you, do you know where my daughter got that animal? She named it Zuba and now I can't separate her from it."

"No idea," Link said, once again knowing the truth.

"Hm. Very well. It's a docile animal though, so I can't imagine it would hurt anyone," Remono said as he noticed Link's new clothes. "Oh, where did you get those? I thought you were wearing green clothing when you left."

"These? I had them on me. They're a bit cooler than my others, and it is pretty hot out here," Link lied once again.

"You came prepared," approved Remono. "I'm just glad the Goddesses saw it fit to aid us in our hour of need. The Gorons are once again free to mine everything they need from food to materials, and we are free to visit them. It truly is a great day."

"Then I'll leave you to enjoy it peace," Link said as he turned back to the door, waving at Remono, who waved back.

"Luck to you on your travels, Hodded Demon."

Exiting the house, Link whistled Epona over to him, though Cisia stopped him.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked as he mounted Epona.

"I have to," Link admitted. "There are others who need my help. I can't sit back and just allow them to suffer. I have to do something about it."

Cisia nodded. "Well... Okay. Just don't get yourself killed out there!"

"Heh. I won't," Link laughed before urging Epona forward out of Kakariko.

OOO

"Whew. With this armor, it actually feels as if it were cold here in Lanayru Province," Link commented as he rode towards Petra's shop. "I'm not complaining though. After fighting a huge explosive insect in a volcano, I'll easily take this now."

Marze merely nodded. He understood that it was hot inside of the volcano, and he agreed. Cool air was definitely preferable at this point.

Link pulled up in front of Petra's shop, yet he didn't remove his mask due to a few people standing in front of the desk. Standing in line, he waited for his turn, Petra eventually getting to her.

"Ordering or picking up?" she asked professionally.

"Picking up," Link answered as he lowered his hood and mask.

"Oh, Link! I take it the Goron Mines are safe now?" she asked.

"Yep," Link said as he held out the insect's Starlight Coin. "Even got this."

"Great!" Petra said as she unlocked the door to the side, allowing Link in. "I'm just finishing up on your sword and shield. Aside from a few little things, they're good to go."

Link smiled and headed down the stairs after her to her main forge, seeing a golden blade and shield resting next to the forge, the golden light of the fire glinting off of the weapons.

"Whoa," said Link as he grabbed the sword, which as Petra said was nearly done. It merely lacked wrapping on the handle, which even then was very comfortable. "This is amazing..."

"It'll be even better when I take care of the finishing touches," said Petra as she took the blade from him.

"Is it fine if I just stick around 'til you're done?" Link asked, Petra nodding.

"Sure!" she replied, gesturing to a chair. "It'll just be a few minutes and then you'll be all set."

"Sounds good," Link said as he sat. Petra grabbed the sword and shield and headed into a side room, and as she told Link, it was only a few minutes before she returned with his new sword and shield in tow.

Standing up, Link took the sword and shield from her, unsheathing the golden blade. It bore a silver cross guard resembling a four-pointed star with the longest point running 1/4 up the blade which led to a fuller the ran 2/3 of the way the rest of the blade. The blade itself widened right before it reached the cross guard where it grew dull and receded back into the handle. The handle was finely wrapped with Ordonian Leather, and the silver pommel resembled a gem of some kind.

The shield resembled a standard Hylian Shield, though hers had silver rimming alongside a golden backdrop, a silver star presenting itself of the shield's face.

"It looks great, Petra. How much is this going to cost me?" Link asked.

"Not a Rupee," she replied, though Link shook his head.

"I get that you're doing what you can to help me, but I can't just take something that took three days of work for free. I'll give you 200 Rupees for each piece of gear," Link said.

"No, just take them," Petra insisted.

"Nope. I'll only take them if you take the money," Link declared as he set the money onto the table.

Petra sighed and reluctantly took the money, Link finally smiling.

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said as he strapped his new weapons on his back.

* * *

 **Badabing, badaboom! Chapter 14, good to go! Yep, his new armor makes him pretty fireproof, to the point of being able to swim in lava. Cool stuff, right? And Link finally got his sword and shield from Petra! Even more cool stuff, right? Anyway, you guys get it, cool stuff.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	15. Gerudo Variety Market

**It's about time he got his new gear, right? Yay, new sword and shield! *Cheering sound effects* Thank you, thank you, it's good to be here. But for cereals, let's get real with a chapter 15.**

* * *

Chapter 15

Gerudo Variety Market

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Link said as he put both his new metal shield and ax in his pouch, strapping his new sword and shield on his back.

"I really don't want to take the money though..." Petra lamented as she grabbed the back of Rupees off of the table.

"Just use it to by more materials and keep doing what you do best," said Link as he turned to the door, a smile on his face. "Besides, I know a few folks who deserve weapons of this quality," he finished as he pointed at the new sword on his back. Heading back up the stairs, he offered one last, "Bye!" before he left Petra's shop.

"Hylians..." Petra said as she shook her head, though she grabbed a green Rupee from the bag Link had used to pay her. "But I have to admit, they have a really pretty currency."

OOO

Hopping on Epona, Link began riding back towards Castle Town. He would have worried about a confrontation with Virtus, but thanks to his new clothing and weapons, he had pretty high doubts that the knight would notice him.

He quickly donned him mask and raised his hood before entering the walls of Castle Town, only after hopping off of Epona.

"Southern thoroughfare," Link said as he recalled the location of the Twilight Tavern. Heading to the southern part of town, he was relieved to see that though he passed by Virtus, bumped into him, in fact, the False Hero didn't recognize him in the slightest.

Turning down the stairs to the bar, he was stopped by a tanned woman with red hair wearing red clothes.

"Hey, kid," she said, gesturing for him to come closer. Reluctantly, he did, looking around in case something was about to happen.

"So, a bounty hunter, huh? Stopping by the bar to get a drink after a contract? Or getting one to cope with a failed task?" she asked, though Link crossed his arms.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Like getting to the point, huh? I like that. My name's Bastet. I work for a... special store that only caters to those who the boss deems worthy," the now-named Bastet said. "You can probably guess why I'm telling you this."

"So, I get to shop there, huh?" Link asked, raising his eyebrow. He wasn't really fond of conversations like this. "Can I ask what it's called before I join you?"

"The Gerudo Variety Market," Bastet said with a smirk. "I'm one of the shopkeepers. I'm sure you'll like our stock."

"Of course I will," Link said sarcastically as he followed Bastet throughout a secret alley that was rather well hidden into what on the outside looked like an old house, a chained door blocking others off who came from the eastern thoroughfare.

"So, this is it, huh?" Link asked as he looked over the building. Though it looked mildly inconspicuous, there was a sign above the door that said 'Gerudo Variety Market.'

"Just so you know, everything we do is legal," Bastet said quickly such that Link wouldn't get suspicious.

"I'd imagine so," Link said as he looked at the store. "If it weren't, this would likely have been taken down by now."

"I don't think so," Bastet said as she shook her head. "The boss would make sure that didn't happen. He's pretty tough. Definitely tougher than that so-called Hero every loves to talk about so much..."

"Virtus?" Link asked. "I can't really say he seems like the Hero to me. Too cocky."

"That's what the boss says," Bastet said, smiling. "No wonder he said that you could shop here."

"Who's this boss you keep talking about?" Link asked, leaning against the wall next to the door.

"The King of the Gerudo," Bastet said. "He's the most recent of the Gerudo males born every 100 years. I'm sure you and him would get along fine. He's always favored the strong," the Gerudo said one last time before entering the store, Link following after her.

He had to admit, most of what he saw in the store looked really nice. There were several intricate swords lining the walls, though he seriously doubted they matched the craftsmanship of Petra's works. Among the swords there were other things such as other shields, axes, hammers, a few spears, as well as other items that looked magical in nature.

He made his way over to one of the axes that sat upon the walls as Bastet walked behind the counter of the market. The entire store bore a very Gerudo-like air about it, likely because it was filled with genuine Gerudo artifacts such as curved swords, revealing outfits, and their signature orange and green decals upon the otherwise red room. There were even some very fine pots, though Link resisted the urge to shatter these.

His eyes had landed upon a certain ax that seemed to be in the style of the Gerudo with silver blades and the orange and green decals on both sides of the handle where the main blade branched off alongside four huge bolts, two on each blade. One side had a full curved blade while the other had a smaller blade that tapered to a point. The handle was primarily straight, though it curbed a little towards the main blade before curving away and reaching the pommel of the weapon, which was a gem made of topaz. The handle was wrapped in the normal Gerudo colors, and it seemed to be even larger than his current ax. (1)

"How much is this?" Link asked as he took the ax off the wall, holding it up to see that it really was heavier than his current one, though not to the point of being unusable. He actually like the higher weight, to be honest.

"The ax? Nothing else?" Bastet asked. "Well, that ax is 300 Rupees."

"That's it?" Link said as he placed the ax upon his shoulder. "Easy," he said as he went through his wallet, placing the money on the counter. Bastet looked through it and nodded approvingly, putting it under the counter.

"It's yours," she said, leaning on the counter.

Link smiled and put the ax in his pouch, startling Bastet.

"How's you do that?" she asked as she pointed at Link, backing up a little as she did.

Link laughed for a second at her reaction. "Haha. It's just a pouch I got from my father, it makes everything I put in it pretty much weightless," he explained.

"Oh," said Bastet, though she didn't come any closer to Link. "Thank you for your patronage."

Link smiled as he left the shop, taking the secret route back to the Twilight Tavern. Entering the bar, he wasn't surprised to see that no one recognized him. He saw Tensa sitting over at a table in a corner of the room away from the door. Tensa looked in his direction for a moment before closing his eyes, leaning back in his chair. He also noticed that Alphonse, Iris, and Meredith were all there as well, Meredith helping out Elvira by passing out orders for those too lazy to get it themselves.

Walking up to the bar, Link took and empty seat, though one patron, an older man with rough black hair and a scar over his left eye, likely missing, turned and looked down at him.

"I never said you could sit there," he said, glaring down at Link.

"Interesting," Link said as he turned to the older man.

"That means move, small fry," he said as he stood, cracking his knuckles.

"Brucis, knock it off," Elvira ordered as she popped up at the bar next to Link and the now-named Brucis.

"Why don't you keep your nose out of my business, woman?" Brucis replied before grabbing Link by the collar and throwing him onto a table two patrons were eating at.

"What the Dark Realm, Brucis?!" one shouted as he stood, helping up his female companion who Link had unintentionally knocked over when he was thrown at them.

"This kid didn't ask permission before he sat next to me," Brucis said, trying to make Link ou to be the bad guy, but the man who Link had been thrown at didn't like that.

"Well, you didn't ask for permission before you threw him at us!" the man responded as Elvira made her way around the corner.

"That's it, Brucis. You've had enough. Get out," she commanded, pointing at the door.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, turning to Elvira. "And who's going to make me?"

"Iris! Tensa! Get him out of here, please!"

The two Elvira had called upon rose from their seats, Tensa silently making his way from his seat quickly whilst Iris clanked through the seats to stand next to her friend.

"I believe we are," said Iris as she stood next to Tensa, crossing her arms.

"Hm," 'said' Tensa as he did the same, though he kept his eye closed.

"Ha!" laughed Brucis as he looked at Iris and Tensa. "A woman and a runt? Now that's a laugh!"

Truth be told, Tensa was actually a pretty tall individual, only a little bit shorter than Brucis. Iris was also a very well built woman, being more toned than Tensa was.

"Yep. Looks like it," said Iris.

"Not gonna happen," he declared as he punched at Tensa, the green-haired man easily ducking underneath the attack, simultaneously kneeing him in the elbow and nearly breaking his arm.

"Should have warned you," said Iris as she turned to Brucis, "but Tensa is a master of something called Martial Arts. It means he's a better fighter than you."

With that said, Tensa grabbed Brucis by the shoulders and brought his knee into his face, HARD, breaking his nose.

"Gah!" cried Brucis in pain as he held his nose.

"For future reference," Iris said as she placed a hand on Brucis' arms, pulling them from his face to reveal his horrifically misshapen nose, "when the owner of an establishment as fine as this asks you to leave, you leave."

And with that, Iris caught Brucis in the jaw with a devastating right hook, sprawling his unconscious form out on the floor.

"Thanks, guys," said Elvira as she quickly dragged Brucis out of the bar, rather easily as well. Link figured she must do it pretty often if she could move that mountain like she did.

Closing the door, Elvira made her way over to Link and helped him up, dusting him off once he was standing.

"Sorry about Brucis," she said, placing her hands on her hips, "he tends to get drunk and pick fights with whoever sits next to him. Don't take it to heart. My name's-"

"Elvira, yeah, I know. We've met before, regrettably under similar circumstances," Link confirmed as he lowered his hood and mask. Since he wasn't wearing his Demon Clothing, he didn't need to worry about anyone recognizing him.

"Oh, Link! Good to see you again!" she greeted, patting him on the shoulder.

"Is that really you?" Iris asked, lowering herself to eye level to look him in the eyes. "Huh. Guess it is."

"Hm." You can already guess who said that.

"Good to see you too, Tensa," Link said before helping pick up the table he had knocked over when Brucis threw him.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said as he picked up the table with the help of the male patron.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he replied as they set the table back down in its original position. "Brucis has always been a mean drunk. He always likes to drink and then pick fights with people. Not only that, but its usually Tensa and Iris who end up stopping him. Sad, really."

"Anyway," Link said as he sat back down, "I'm still sorry."

The man smiled and waved him off, sitting back down with the girl he was with.

"So, what can I get you?" Elvira asked as she got back behind the bar. "We've got a little bit of everything."

"Just some food," Link said. "I'm starving after my trek through Eldin Province."

"Well, how about a few loach fillets?" Elvira asked.

Link nodded. "That sounds fine."

"Coming right up!" Elvira said with a smile as she went in the back to prepare the food.

"So, care to explain why you left like you did last time?" Iris asked as she sat next to Link, taking Brucis' empty seat.

"I just had everything I needed at the time," Link said. "All I needed to know was where the trouble areas were."

"Interesting," replied Iris. "And how did it go?"

"It was nothing," Link lied. "There was just a mishap in the mines that prevented the Gorons from mining, though it resolved itself easily enough."

"You killed the monster, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"You can trust us, Valion," Iris said as she patted Link on the back. "We'll do what we can to help you."

Link smiled and was about to respond, but Elvira came from the back with a steaming plate in hand.

"Sorry for the wait!" she said as she put the plate down in front of Link. "Careful, it's hot!"

"Thank you," Link said as he grabbed a fork and took a bite, the warm food easily being the most enjoyable part of the day.

"Oh, Goddesses I needed this," he said as he took another bite.

"Well, I leave you to that then," said Iris as she went back to her original seat.

Link wasn't complaining. He wanted to have some time to enjoy his food before he went back to work.

OOO

"Oh, that hit the spot."

Link just finished his food, and he was quite impressed with it. Elvira really was a talented cook.

At this point, he only had to wait a few minutes for Elvira to close up shop such that he could find out where he had to move to next in order to do what he had to do.

As such, he took a seat across from Tensa, the green-haired man glaring at him as he did.

"Hey, Tensa," Link greeted.

"Hm."

"What, no hello?" Link asked.

"...Hi..."

"Look, I get that you really don't like people, but you need to open up a bit to people," Link said. "It might just get a few people to open up to you."

Tensa merely continued to glare at Link before closing his eyes. "My personal life if of no concern to you. All you must know is that I am loyal to Hyrule."

Link sighed. "Fine. In time, however, I expect you to open up to me soon."

"Farewell," Tensa stressed, glaring at Link once more.

Link sighed once more before getting up from his seat, sitting back at the bar, Elvira setting a glass out in front of him.

"Yeah, that's not going to work to well too well on Tensa," Elvira said, cleaning a glass from another patron.

"I'll make it work eventually," Link said.

Elvira smiled for a moment before setting the glass down.

"All right, folks, it's closing time! Finish up and start heading out!"

As she had commanded, everyone got up and started leaving, except for Meredith, Alphonse, Iris, and Tensa, of course. They all made their way to the back of the room, Alphonse laying the map back out.

"So, to begin today, it turns out that Link managed to clear out the Goron Mines earlier," he said clasping his hands together in front of him. "Good job. I guess that means we can take the mark of the map."

"On it!" Meredith cheered as she went to scratching the paint off with her nails. "I'll have this off in a jiffy...!"

Link laughed a little bit at her expense as she took a little longer than 'a jiffy' in order to take off the paint, though she eventually got it.

"So, where else is having problems?" Link asked, getting straight to the point.

"That would be here," said Iris as she pointed to a red mark on the border between the Eldin and Lanayru Provinces. "A large number of reports have come in saying how the grave there has been haunted or something, making it impossible for people to pay their respects."

"Okay," said Link as he looked over the map. "I'll see what I can do."

"Just so you know," said Alphonse as Link stood up, "you'll have to make your way back through Eldin Province and over the Bridge of Eldin in order to get to the graveyard. It's known as the Emerald Grove due to a large grave made out of a huge gem much like an emerald. If you can't find your way, just ask the locals, they should be able to point you in the right direction."

"Thanks, Alphonse," said Link as he headed out of the bar, Marze popping out of his cloak as always.

"So, we're headed out?" he asked, Link nodding in response.

"Yep. The border of Eldin and Lanayru. There's this place called the Emerald Grove that might prove worth our time," Link explained as they made their way out of town, Link mounting Epona after handing her an apple from her saddlebags.

"All right, girl, we've got quite the little adventure ahead of us," he said as he pet her, Epona whinnying gratefully in response as she began moving.

"Emerald Grove, here we come."

* * *

 **Okay, here we go! Chapter 15's all set to go! And hey, a point! Let's quick get that out of the way so you know what the hell ol' Oni here was talking about.**

 **(1) Essentially the same ax as an Iron Knuckle from Ocarina of Time, though with a few minor changes such as the curved handle and single full blade.**

 **Anyway, you guys know the drill.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	16. The Emerald Grove

**All right, let's get into this real quick here. Besides, Link's heading to his next destination, the Emerald Grove. So... yeah. Chapter 16, let's go.**

* * *

Chapter 16

The Emerald Grove

Heading out from Castle Town, Link thought back to the directions he got from the map from the Twilight Tavern earlier.

"So," he said in thought as he kept Epona moving, "I have to head to the border of Eldin and Lanayru. Well, I already know my way around a good part of Eldin Province, so I might as well head there. That, and there's an Inn out in Kakariko last time I checked, so I might stop there for a rest. It's been a while since I've slept..."

"Yep. You should really get a map of Hyrule. Just trying to remember everything might not end up as well as you might think it will," said Marze from Link's shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess I should," Link agreed. "I should be able to pick one up out in Kakariko from one of the stores. I'd think they'd have a general store, at least."

And with that, he continued on his way out to Kakariko Village, his destination for the time being. Having headed out of the Eastern Gate, he had to make his way southeast in order to re-enter Kakariko from Hyrule Field. Along the way, he encountered more than his fair share of monsters, but he was hoping for that.

"Finally," he said as he spotted a Kargorok, a huge avian creature, "I needed a chance to test my new weapons, so here we go!"

Quickly pulling Epona to a stop, he dismounted and drew his new sword and shield, which he fittingly nicknamed the Antares Edge and the Sirius Shield, confidently brandishing the new gear. He found that even though his Antares Edge was longer than his previous sword, it was also lighter, meaning he had the capacity to swing it faster and deal more damage alongside greater reach. Even his Sirius Shield bore less weight than his older shield.

Thinking back to the Kargorok that had finally noticed him, Link narrowed his eyes and waited for the beast to make a move. It didn't make him wait very long before diving at him, Link responding with a well-timed shield bash that dazed the beast, leaving it wide open for a counterattack. With a single slash, he cut it in two, the beast dissipating as monsters usually did.

"Wow," said Link as he looked at his sword. "That would have taken way more than one hit with my old sword. You do good work, Petra."

Turning around, he cut down another Kargorok, finding the same result of a single swing taking it down.

"This is really sharp..." he said as he noted that before the Kargorok dissipated, the slash wound was clean, meaning that it didn't rip at the flesh of it, but cut it cleanly.

Sheathing his sword, he reached into his pouch and grabbed his new ax, heaving it over his shoulder as he tried to grow accustomed to its greater weight.

"Whew," he said as he rested it upon his shoulder, "This thing must weigh at least 50 pounds. My older ax only weighed maybe 30."

Finding another Kargorok, he was satisfied when his ax did more than rend it in half, but the sheer force at which the ax hit it at sent it flying away. Then again, more weight hitting you across the face was sure to do more damage then usual.

Putting the ax back in his pouch, Link went back over to Epona and mounted her, steering her towards Kakariko.

Entering town again, he was happy to see that the usual hustle and bustle of the town had returned, and even the Gorons had joined in. Riding up towards the Inn, comically named the Eld Inn, he dismounted Epona and told her should could wander, entering the Inn. He knew it was going to get dark soon, so he decided that now was as good a time as any to get some sleep. Besides, it's been forever since he's gotten any form of rest.

Approaching the counter, the man who stood there waved in greeting.

"Howdy! Welcome to the Eld Inn, how can old Henry help you this fine evening?" the man asked.

"Just one night," Link responded.

"That'll be 50 Rupees!" Henry responded.

"50? All right then, that's easy enough," said Link as he grabbed his wallet, finding that it had grown a lot lighter since his adventure had started. Regardless, he placed the requested 50 Rupees on the counter, Henry checking them and smiling in response.

"Follow me, if you'd please!" he said cheerfully as he gestured to follow him, walking up some stairs to the second floor, where he pointed Link to a room. "This'll be your room! However, though I do not mean to be rude, since you've only payed for one night, you'll need to be out by noon tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to charge you more."

"I understand," Link said casually as he entered the room, Henry waving and heading back to the desk downstairs. Looking around the room, Link wasn't surprised to see that it was a small one-person room, though it was rather nicely kept. Removing his mask, hood, armor, tunic, and boots, he sat on the bed, resting his sword and shield next to it. Leaning back on the bed, he rested his head on the pillow, Marze flying up next to him.

"Not bad," said Marze. "But it needs more flying space."

"You said the same thing about my house," Link said in annoyance as he looked at Marze, who had taken his tunic and cloak and used them to make a makeshift bed for himself.

"Hey, Marze, make sure I'm awake by 11 tomorrow, okay? I don't need to be charged anymore for leaving a few minutes late," Link requested.

"Got it," replied the little Stardrake right before dozing off, Link doing the same shortly afterwards. He needed this way too much, that much was for sure.

OOO

"Hey, time to wake up. It's 11:30."

Link's eyes fluttered awake, looking to see Marze hovering above him as he shook him awake.

"What time did you say it was?" Link asked as he sat up, rubbing his eyes, yawning.

"11:30. I let you sleep in a little longer," Marze replied, dropping Link's tunic on his face. "Now let's go before you get billed."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," said Link as he put back on all of his equipment, strapping his sword and shield back on as he headed out the door.

"Oh, awake?" he heard Henry ask.

"Yep," Link replied as he looked over the balcony, seeing Henry there waving at him. "I'm heading out."

"Thank you for your business!" Henry said gratefully as Link walked out the door, waving.

"Well, he was nice. Usually people tell me to leave before I even ask to sleep there. Or before I say hello. Sometimes even before I enter the building... Or the town..." said Link as he recalled the downside of being the Hooded Demon. Plenty of people didn't like him despite how efficient he was and how many people have been saved thanks to him. Then again, trouble was more attracted to him than stupid to a bokoblin.

"It's obviously your new clothes," said Marze from within Link's cloak as he whistled for Epona, who came to him quickly enough.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's not like anyone would be any more supportive of me after that little run-in with Virtus back in town the other day," Link agreed. "Anyway, let's head out. Though before we do, let's check the local general store for a map of Hyrule. Relying on heading back to the Twilight Tavern every time might get a bit old quickly."

"Sure," said Marze quickly before quieting down as Link walked into the store. There were several shelves of items ranging from food to cookware, and thankfully, he saw a map near the front. Grabbing that, he headed to the register, an old Goron siting there, smoking.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as Link held out the map. "Just a map of Hyrule? Okay. 10 Rupees."

Link nodded and handed him the 10 Rupees, the Goron taking them and nodding in return.

"Thanks, bruddah. We here at Malo Mart hope you come back soon."

Link smiled and nodded, remembering that in the Era of the Hero of Twilight, a child from the Hero's town had taken this shop when its owner had died, making it a respectable shop that eventually spread to Hyrule Castle Town itself.

Leaving the store and hopping on Epona, he pressed her sides and got her moving, heading back out of Kakariko and into Hyrule Field, this time avoiding whatever monsters he saw in order to save time. Of course, some monsters were very persistent, forcing him to introduce his blade to them, ending all of their lives in one-shot as usual. After a few minutes of riding, he came across a landmark that told him he was going the right direction.

The Great Bridge of Eldin.

He slowed Epona to get a good look at the bridge, as he'd never been this far into Eldin Province before. Therefore, the bridge was a big deal to him, much like how Hyrule Castle was to Ryla.

"Whoa..." said Link in awe as he looked upon the bridge, "this is huge. It must have taken ages to create this by hand."

Marze nodded in agreement as he looked upon the structure. Even mages from the Land of the Stars would have a hard time with a construct such as this.

Link merely continued across the bridge, but that didn't stop him from looking at the chasm that the bridge spanned. much like the bridge leading from Ordon to Kakariko, this was an absurdly far fall. Keeping his mind of the otherwise impending doom, he rode past the other end of the Bridge of Eldin and up through that end of Hyrule Field. Stopping Epona, he got off to check his map, seeing that the area he was heading to wasn't that far ahead. Putting the map back in his pocket, he continued on his way in order to get the Emerald Grove, likely the resting place of his next Starlight Coin.

"Heh, maybe it'll just be a Poe," laughed Link as he kept walking, "and it just has the coin, but it's also scaring off local villagers."

"That would be a bit _too_ easy, right?" Marze asked.

This of course made Link laugh a bit louder. "You aren't seriously considering that as an option are you? So far in order to get these Starlight Coins, the easiest thing I've had to fight has been a King Gohma. And let me tell you, a King Gohma takes way more to kill than a Poe."

"Hm. I guess you're right," Marze agreed.

Link nodded and kept walking, eventually came across a gateway made of stone that led to what looked like a graveyard.

"'The Emerald Grove,' huh? All right, this looks like it. Let's go get our next coin," said Link as he entered the graveyard.

The first thing he noticed was of course the titanic emerald gravestone that sat at the far end of the graveyard. Not only was it the most impressive of the graves there, but it also sat on a large marble base that had some kind of inscription.

 _'Those who wish to brave the depths of my tomb to claim my eternal wealth must first prove themselves with a riddle.'_

"Oh, Goddesses," said Link in annoyance, "a riddle? This is going to be tedious, I can feel it."

 _'He who fell to darkness was always the first to sleep. My wife was never the last. The Master of Blades always hated company when he rested, and the King of Shadows always watched over those who couldn't.'_

"So, what do you think it means?" Marze asked after Link finished reading the inscription.

"I can't really say I know..." admitted Link as he read the grave itself. "Dolan Arcturus, huh? Must have been quite the crafty bastard in his time," Link said as he looked over the other graves. To his surprise, he noticed that every single grave there had been moved from their original positions.

"What the? Wait, this might have something to do with that riddle," Link said as he remembered the riddle. "'The first to rest...' Oh, rest must mean to fix their graves! So, he who fell to shadows always rests first, so someone who fell into the chasm?"

He and Marze began looking though the graves, but none of them detailed anything about a man falling into the abyss under the Bridge of Eldin. However, Marze still found something.

"Hey, this one says that the person died in his sleep one night," he said as he flew around the grave in question.

"Well, it did say he fell to darkness... Oh, I get it, 'fell to darkness' means that he died at night when he slept. Well, this one goes first, as always," he said as he recalled the riddle, pushing the grave back in place, a Green Rupee popping out as he moved it.

I mean, Link wasn't one to pass up free money, so of course he took it.

"Maybe I only get money from correct answers," said Link. That would be an interesting prospect indeed.

"Then that's one more reason for you to get this right," agreed Marze. "Okay, I'll be honest, but I have no idea who's next."

"Well, let's think back to the riddle. It said Dolan's wife was never the last to sleep, so there should be someone after her. The 'Master of Blades' apparently hated company when he slept, so that probably means he hated people watching over him when he went to sleep, so..." Link trailed off, letting Marze get the next part.

"Oh, he slept last! So out of the four graves we have to fix, his is the last," deduced Marze.

"Exactly!" said Link. "Now, what about the 'King of Shadows'? It said he always watched over those who couldn't, so where does that leave us?"

"He must have slept after those who couldn't protect themselves. I'll guess that the 'Master of Blades' didn't count, so maybe he was a swordsman or knight or something," deduced Marze.

"Yeah, you're right!" agreed Link as he looked through the graves. "So as long as the wife didn't practice any form of combat, it'll go her, the 'King of Shadows', and then the 'Master of Blades.'"

The two went back to looking around the graves, Link seeing that one was slightly large than the others. Reading the inscription, he saw that the name upon it was Adriana Arcturus, and it said that she was the wife of the late Dolan Arcturus.

"All right, number two!" said Link as he pushed the grave into place, a Blue Rupee popping up as he moved it. "Next would be the King of Shadows."

Looking around, he didn't see any graves that fit the description. Marze, however noticed something.

"Wait, if he's a 'King of Shadows,' wouldn't it make sense for his or her grave to reflect that?" he asked.

"I guess so..." said Link as he looked for any source of shade, seeing a single grave resting beneath a lone tree far away from the others. Pushing it back in place, he was greeted by a Gold Rupee which he picked up.

"And finally," said Link as he cracked his back, "The Master of Blades. I already know which grave is his," he finished as he pointed at a grave with a sword coming out if the top, using it as a pedestal.

Marze nodded and flitted over to it, quickly reading the inscription. "Yep, this is him."

Link made his way over and pushed the grave back into its proper place, a Red Rupee being his final reward. Hearing the sound of stone grinding on stone, he looked to see the large emerald grave move to allow him entry. As he approached the grave, he saw that there was a new inscription where the grave had been sitting.

 _'Finally, a soul worthy to claim my fortune! But only those who prove their might against the dead can return to the living as rich as a God. Come prove to me that you're worthy of my favor.'_

"First a riddle, now a challange? Wow, this guys must _really_ not want people to just take his money. Though I'm surprise grave robbers haven't just taken his headstone, it's clearly made of Rupee Ore..." Link said before turning back to the stairs that led into the man's grave.

"But grave robbers or not, I have to a job to do," he said before heading down the stairs, more than ready for whatever challenge lied in wait for him ahead.

* * *

 **It's about time he got to a new dungeon! This one is fittingly named the Emerald Grave due to the huge gravestone made of a huge Rupee he had to move in order get into it. But anyway, I've got a heads up for you guys.**

 **The story The Legend of Miraculous will now be updated on PrincessZelda1468's profile from now on, so if you guys read that, then head over to their page in order to follow and keep up. If not, then check it out, it's pretty good.**

 **Anywho, that should wrap this outro up.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	17. The Emerald Grave

**WHEW! Let me tell you guys, band camp can take a lot out of you. After all, that's where I've been for the past week. (Drumline FTW) Anyway, you guys probably don't care about that. You care about the wall of text beneath this. (Don't worry, I still love all of you)**

* * *

Chapter 17

The Emerald Grave

Walking down the stairs revealed by the colossal gravestone's movements, Link couldn't help but cough. The dust kicked up was more than enough to blind him, causing his eye to water.

"Ugh..." said Link as he wiped the dust from his eyes. "This is going to be a long day, I can feel it..."

"Long day or not," said Marze, "you have a job to do, so be brave and do it. There are worlds counting on you."

"Yeah yeah," said Link as he reached the first room. It was an expansive room lined wall to wall with expensive-looking features that looked like they belonged in a mansion. Link even thought that the area itself looked like a mansion...

"This isn't too bad of a place..." he said as he looked around. "If it weren't for the fact that this was a grave, I wouldn't mind having a house like this."

He kept looking around, seeing a multitude of chandeliers, paintings, and expensive torches. It was surprisingly well-lit despite being underground.

"Well, we'd better get started," said Link as he drew his sword. If the grave said he needed to prove his worth against the dead, then it seemed like he'd be forced to fight the dead. Not exactly his favorite thing to do in the world, but hey. More practice with his new sword!

Looking around, he saw that this was just a central lobby, several rooms branching off from here, yet only one was unlocked, meaning he found where he was going first. Heading through the door, Link gave the room a quick once-over to see what he had to work with. Surprisingly enough, he saw that the chandelier in this room was unlit, though the room was still well enough lit to see without much trouble. There were two doors, and one was barred heavily. Despite the fine craftsmanship that the Antares Edge had, he mildly doubted that he could just cut through the bars.

"Another crossroad, huh?" said Link as he walked towards the open door. "There was one in Skyview Temple, but there was only the one. So far there's been two here..."

Link sighed as he opened the door, entering this new room. Looking around, he saw several lanterns swaying in the breeze, but then a thought came to him.

"There's no breeze in a grave."

Quickly pulling out his shield he lowered into a defensing stance as one of the lanterns smashed into his shield, bouncing harmlessly off of the clean metal surface. He turned and braced himself as another hit his shield, his offenders finally showing themselves.

"Poes," said Link as he gritted his teeth.

Poes are, quite frankly, the ghosts of the undead cursed to roam the world even in the afterlife, clad in tattered cloaks and brandishing nothing but a single lantern, the evil golden eyes leering at him from under the hoods they wore. Though Poes themselves are rather weak, most people fall victim to them due tho their abilities to faze through walls, turn invisible and intangible, and strike with their flaming lanterns. The lanterns themselves were said to house the souls of the apparitions, though no one has been able to prove that theory yet.

"Strike when visible!" Link shouted as he cut at one, though his sword passed through the specter as it turned invisible and retreated. The typically revert to their untouchable state when stared at for too long.

"Defend when not!" he said as the lantern of the one attacked bashed against it, bouncing off one again. Even when the Poes themselves are intangible, their lanterns must be corporeal such to deal damage, lest they pass straight through their targets without doing anything. As the beast returned to his sight, he cut again, though he didn't send it back to the grave. Evidently, Poes were stronger than most things he had fought thus far, requiring more than a single hit to defeat. Slashing again, the specter faded into the wall, letting one of the other Poes take its place. He was hit across the back by another flaming lantern, though his armor kept him from bet lit ablaze. Turning around, he cut air once again as the Poe turned invisible.

Link raised his shield again as he waited for the Poe to regain its tangibility, though he was hit in the back by the other Poe. Gritting his teeth, he pulled off a powerful spin attack that killed the Poe behind him and severely wounded the one in front of him, leaving it open to a final attack that killed it as well. Looking around, he saw that there were still two more Poes that needed to be dealt with. Closing his eyes such not to cause them to turn intangible again, he started swinging, feeling several blows land, one of which on him, knocking him back. Opening his eyes again, he saw that only one Poe remained, and it only had one arm thanks to Link. Smiling, he cut again, the Poe too focused on its missing limb to notice Link staring at it to turn invisible, the Poe's lantern falling to the ground, shattering on impact. Its fire spread, though it was purple in color, somehow possessing a creepy smile.

"What in Hylia's name...?" Link asked himself as he looked at the fire, which seemed to follow his movements, now making a sound not unlike snickering.

 _"Grave robber, huh?"_ the fire asked, laughing at Link. _"Shame. You could have done a lot more with that much skill."_

"Okay, now it's talking, why is it talking?" Link asked, beginning to question his mental stability. Last time he checked, fire was: A) Not supposed to be purple, B) not supposed to smile at you as you walk around the room, and C) NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO YOU.

 _"Sheesh, you rob a grave and don't even bother to learn about the place. How dense can you be?"_ the fire asked, Link still staring at it in both horror and curiosity.

"Marze, do you hear the fire talking?" Link asked, still shocked at what was happening.

"Yeah, and it sounds pretty annoyed," Marze replied, rolling his eyes.

 _"...Uh, hello? Are you even listening to me?!"_ the fire asked, beginning to grow annoyed.

"Yeah, I'm done," said Link as he set Marze down next to the fire. "Marze, you see what it has to say, I'm just not going to deal with this. I'll be in the other room when you're done."

And with that, Link looked at the fire once more before shivering and leaving the room, whispering, "Why does this happen to me?"

"So, you're the soul of that Poe he just fought, correct?" Marze asked, unfazed by the fire being capable of speech.

 _"Yes! Oh my Hylia, thank you! That guy in red was such an idiot. All he did was ask 'why the fire was talking.' You seem to be more intelligent at least,"_ the fire responded.

"Don't mind Link, he's just not used to change. Then again, his sister was kidnapped, so there's that too," Marze said nonchalantly.

 _"His sister gets kidnapped and he spends his time robbing graves instead of trying to save her? What kind of brother does that!"_ the fire shouted, getting angry. Evidently, it didn't like Link very much at this point.

"It's _because_ his sister's been kidnapped that he's here, and he's not grave robbing. The ones who kidnapped his sister are very dangerous, too dangerous for him to face as he is. He needs to be stronger in order to save her," Marze explained, the fire 'blinking' in surprise.

 _"How strong are they if this guy needs to ste- 'Aquire power' from the Emerald Grave?"_ the fire asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Well," said Marze in thought, "the most powerful armies from my world failed to even faze the six strongest of them. And since then, they've only gotten stronger. Link's going to need all of the help he can get if he wants his sister back."

 _"Well, I guess that makes sense..."_ the fire agreed. _"My name's Cyrus, by the way."_

"Cyrus..." said Marze in thought. He knew that name from somewhere. "Wait... Wait! You were one of the gravestones from earlier!" he shouted, remembering the graves they had to move. "'He who Fell to Darkness,' right?"

 _"Yep, that's me,"_ Cyrus said, 'nodding.' _"I'd always had problems sleeping. One night I just bit it. At least I went without pain. Still wasn't fun though."_

"So, what about the other three Poes?" Marze asked. Were they Dolan's wife, the King of Shadows, and the Master of Blades?

 _"Just servants that worked for Dolan. I'm not sure what happened to his wife, but the King of Shadows and Master of Blades... They're another story,"_ Cyrus lamented, his fiery form turning blue for a moment in sorrow.

"What happened to them?" Marze asked.

 _"They were both cursed. Each one is to forever guard Dolan's fortune until finally someone worthy comes to claim it. They are now undead guardians of the Emerald Grave,"_ revealed Cyrus.

"My word..." said Marze in amazement. "That's quite some devotion..."

 _"Yep. They had always been the two strongest men Dolan had employed, and his most trustworthy. They had voluntarily taken the curse, becoming his strongest warriors not only in life, but even in death,"_ Cyrus concluded, regaining his purple color.

"Well..." said Marze as he let the information sink in, "thanks for sharing what you know. I'll be on my way now. Take care with... Whatever it is that you'll do now."

Cyrus sighed and dissipated, his fire sinking into the floor. Marze flew over to the door and knocked on it in order to call Link's attention.

"Is the fire done talking?" Link asked, not opening the door, Marze sighing in return.

"Yes, it's done talking," Marze replied. "And his name was Cyrus, just so you know."

"I don't care what his name was," said Link as he opened the door, satisfied that there were no more talking flames in the room, "fire shouldn't talk to people. Bokoblins don't, and they're still sentient."

"Yeah, whatever," said Marze as he landed on Link's shoulder. "Anyway, you're going to have to be more careful. Remember the King of Shadows and Master of Blades?"

"Yeah, why? Are they going to turn into fire and talk to me too?" Link asked.

"Nope," Marze replied. "You're going to have to fight them. They've been cursed to forever guard the Emerald Grave, or at least until someone can truly claim Dolan's riches. Likely, they've been granted power much like the Queen Gohma and that giant bug."

"Okay, it's really been bugging me on what to call that thing. It honestly seemed like a giant fiery Moldorm so... Scaldorm?" Link said.

"What's a Moldorm?" Marze asked.

"They're like giant insects, not unlike centipedes," Link explained.

"Ah," said Marze in understanding. He at least knew what centipedes were, so he could make the connection. "So, how are we going to get any further? All the doors are locked, and we don't have any keys."

 _"I believe I can help with that,"_ said a familiar voice.

"Hylia damn it," said Link as he saw that the source of the voice was from the fire, which Marze had figured out was named Cyrus.

"Cyrus?" Marze asked.

 _"I realized that this chandelier was unlit, so a few of my friends and I decided that we'd help you out,"_ Cyrus said, he creepy fire smile disturbing Link once again.

Floating up to the chandelier, Cyrus was joined by three more flames, the souls of the other three Poes, and the four together lit the object completely, opening up the other door that had been barred.

 _"Just a word of warning; Don't underestimate the two warriors of the undead. This place is filled with those who did,"_ Cyrus finished.

"Didn't plan on it... Fire guy," Link said as he entered the now-open room as fast as he could to avoid having to keep talking to fire much longer. This next room was empty aside from a single chest, which Link quickly found contained both a key and a map. Why a grave would have a map was beyond him...

"Well, looks like we can get further into the grave now," Link said as he held up the key. Passing back through the room with Cyrus in it, he passed back through to the lobby, heading to the locked door from earlier. Unlocking it, he entered the room, taking a quick look around. It was a circular room with stairs that led both up and down, though the stairs going up were barred off by a large metal grating.

"Going down," said Link as he made his way to the stairs. thankfully, they weren't anywhere near as far a descent as the stairs from the Goron Mines. After less than a minute of walking he reached the bottom, and it led to another circular room, though this one was larger than the one above. The staircase above him locked when he fully entered the room, and it was only then that he realized where he was standing.

"It's like a tomb," he said as he looked around, seeing what looked like caskets lining the walls. Getting closer to inspect one, he was startled when the front fell off, revealing the mummified corpse within.

"What did you do?" Marze asked as he looked at Link in annoyance.

"Hey, you know I didn't touch anything!" he said, taking a deep breath after his outburst, regretting that as he covered his mouth and nose. "Oh Hylia, that smells bad!"

"Well, yeah," said Marze as he covered his own nose. "I'd imagine a rotting corpse would smell like that."

"Whew, let's get this covered back up," he said as he reached down to lift up the stone covering, though it didn't budge. Despite it being made of what looked like marble, Link still should have been strong enough to lift it back up. After all, he had been strong enough to beat Royal Gohmas and 'Scaldorm.'

He was coining that name, mind you.

Trying to lift again, he was startled when he heard a loud 'thump' on the lid of the casket, and looked up to see that the corpse had fallen out, for some reason a sword falling out as well.

"Oh Hylia, I messed up," he said in worry as he begrudgingly grabbed the corpse, lifting it back into the grave, though he stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

Marze was on his other shoulder.

Turning very slowly to the body he was moving, he was surprised to see that the body was looking back at him was piercing red eyes.

"Oh, Dark Realm no," he said as he pushed the beast away, leaping back a good ten feet to get away from the monster known as a Redead, terrifyingly powerful mummies that did more than simply rejected death, but fed upon life.

"I knew I wasn't going to like this," he said as he drew his sword and shield, settling into his combat pose.

The Redead slowly rose to its feet, grabbing the sword to its side before lumbering after him, dragging its colossal blade in the ground next to it as it slowly made its way towards Link.

"Well, go kill it!" said Marze as he took to the air. He wasn't really afraid of the monster, but he was afraid of what that sword could do to him if he were caught in the middle of this fight. "I mean, it's slow! You'd be in and out before it even knew what happened!"

"Yeah, no," said Link as he decided that his sword wouldn't be the best idea right now, instead grabbing his bow. "Redeads are some of the most dangerous enemies you'll ever see, way worse than Poes. What you just told me to do has gotten hundreds of poor souls killed. No, ranged combat is my best bet."

Link drew an arrow, aiming right into the eye socket of the Redead, slowing it for a moment and throwing its head back before it made eye contact with Link again, continuing its approach, Link taking a few more steps back.

"So, not using my bow then," said Link as he put it away, opting now for his ax. "I still don't want to get close to it though so..."

After saying that, he looked at his ax, rearing back as he aimed at the Redead, throwing the Gerudo weapon as hard as he could at the beast, lopping off its sword arm and embedding itself in the wall. The Redead merely looked at its new wound for a moment before screaming, Link falling to the ground as he clenched his ears in both pain and fear. Marze even fell to the ground behind him as the beast screamed.

"What... I-Is this?!" Marze shouted as the beast grew closer to Link.

"R-Redeads can... Scream in s-such a way that they... Immobilize their... P-Prey!" he shouted as he looked up to see that the Redead was upon him, the creature having grabbed its sword with its other arm before slamming it down on Link, its screaming replaced by demonic moaning.

Link rolled to the side as the Redead swung again, its sword becoming stuck in the ground. Quickly wrenching his ax from the wall, Link went on the offensive, hitting the beast across the back as hard as he could, the sickening sound of bones cracking as the Redead fell with a loud thump, though it continued to moan, using its remaining arm to try and crawl towards Link, having to abandon its weapon. Link gritted his teeth and raised his ax again, splitting the beasts head as he brought it down, once again accompanied by the disgusting sound of bones breaking. Link lifted his ax back up, sighing in relief as the Redead stopped moving. He placed his ax back on his back, though he was confused when the gate didn't open back up.

"Why isn't it opening?" he asked himself as he looked around, what he saw disheartening him instantly.

During his fight with the Redead, he hadn't noticed that _five more_ had come out of their graves, each one inching towards him, swords at the ready to render Link nothing more but another one of them. He was about to back away to give himself more time, but he was stopped by something grabbing his ankle. He reluctantly looked down to the Redead he had just killed...

Or so he thought.

The Redead was still plenty undead, and it had a good hold of Link's ankle, somehow still being able to function with its brains spilled over the floor. Quickly grabbing his ax, he cut the arm off, though it continued to squeeze his leg with its iron grip. Thinking fast, he beheaded the Redead, though it still stared at him with its undying eyes.

"Why won't you die?!" he shouted in fear as he kicked the head away. Surprisingly enough, this drew the other Redeads' attention drawing them to the fallen head of their comrade. But what happened next was when Link got even more scared. They all kneeled down around the head... and began _eating_ it, leaving nothing left but the arrow he had sent through its eye.

"They don't care what they eat..." Link said in horror as he pressed against the wall, having no where to run, "so long as it was flesh once."

Looking down to the hand that still clung to his ankle, he grabbed an arrow and quickly went to work at sawing off the thumb of the dismembered Redead, quickly throwing it at another Redead, which clumsily caught it and did the same thing it had just done to the head; consumed it.

"Hylia help me," he said as he looked down at the corpse in front of him, still twitching even without its head to tell it what to do. "Oh, no! Not anymore, you monster!" he shouted as he snapped his fingers at the beast, setting it ablaze with Sparks. He noticed how the other five Redeads were taken back by the golden blaze, and visibly tried to avoid it, backing away.

"Afraid of fire, huh?" Link said as he lifted his ax over his shoulder, slowly approaching a Redead, which creepily reached out to him, mouth open wide as if Link would willingly feed himself to it. "Then let's burn!"

Snapping his fingers, he lit the Redead ablaze with Sparks, catch the arm of another Redead, which responded quickly and tore its own arm off, dropping it as it back away from the burning creature. When the flames finished doing their job, the Redead was revealed to now be nothing more than a skeleton, which fell to the ground, smoking.

"Oh," said Link as he flexed his hand and stared menacingly at the remaining Redeads, "Oh yeah."

Closing in on the other four monstrosities he was trapped with, he went to work roasting them, his Starfire somehow finishing them all off in one go. Knowing that, he made short work of three of them, though when he got to the last on and he snapped, he got nothing more than what the spell was named after; Sparks.

"Oh Hylia damn it," muttered Link as he leapt back and away from the Redead before him. "Why isn't it working?"

"You're out of magic," said Marze, who was sitting on the highest part of the stairs still accessible. "Since you never use it too often, you don't have enough magic to use it for prolonged periods."

"Great," said Link as he grabbed his ax, readying it at the Redead before him. "I'll just deal with this the knightly way, then."

And with that, he hurled his ax at the monster, embedding the heavy blade in its head. The additional weight dragged its head to the ground, preventing it from moving anymore. Link took the chance to get in close with his sword, and by that I mean he beheaded the Redead, though of course he knew that it wasn't done yet, so of course he did the natural thing; literally cut the beast limb from limb. If it could move without a head, then he had to make it so that it just couldn't move. Of course, the torso still twitched and the head still moaned at him as he loomed over it.

"They must have worked for Dolan too," said Link as he kicked the Redead's body into a pile. "Goddesses, this man is cruel, even in the afterlife, forcing his servants to protect his grave like this."

Snapping his fingers a few times, he was satisfied that he was getting medium sized flames again. And with that, he lit the final Redead ablaze, the grating above him opening, as well as the sound of the grating in the room above.

"All right, Marze, let's get going," said Link as he grabbed his ax and put it back in his pouch, getting back out his sword and shield as he went back up the stairs and past the room he was in earlier, getting to a small room with a door leading to another circular room, but thankfully this one wasn't full of caskets. Instead, in the center was what looked like a large suit of silver and gold armor with a multitude of ruby accents. As he took a step forward, the door behind him was barred.

Link sighed. This better not be more Redeads.

Upon the sound of the door slamming shut, Link noticed something odd. The suit of armor seemed to rattle for a second before the rubies lit up. Link sighed as he drew his sword and began walking towards the suit of armor, the suit only then turning to him.

The suit was absolutely colossal with, standing at maybe 10 feet tall, and it likely bore equally formidable weight. The suit itself wielded a huge ruby broadsword with a silver and gold handle that matched the similarly designed armor.

 _"Another challenger,"_ The suit said, red eyes visible from within the helmet it wore peeking through the visor. _"The first in a long time."_

Link stepped forward. "I'm Link Valion. I guess I'm the challenger."

 _"Link Valion..."_ the suit said, nodding. _"I accept your challenge. Come at me, for I am your first true obstacle in this Emerald Grave, the Ruby Master of Blades!"_

* * *

 **It's about time I got a chapter 17 out for this one, huh? Well, it happens! (Seriously though, you have like zero downtime during band camp. Any fellow bandies will understand) So yeah, get ready for the first rite of challenge Link has to face next chapter; the Ruby Master of Blades. (Fun titles, yay!) Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, and sorry again for the wait.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	18. The Ruby Master of Blades

**Not much to say this time around. Let's just get a new chapter out, all right?**

* * *

Chapter 18

The Ruby Master of Blades

"The Ruby Master of Blades, huh?" Link asked as he started walking towards the knight in question, his face hidden by his helm.

 _"My title in life was naught but the Master of Blades. But in death, I have been given new power, and with that power a new name. I am now the Ruby Master of Blades, the King of the Sword,"_ The knight replied, sword still resting with the tip in the ground.

"So, you worked for Dolan before you died?" Link asked, stopping a few feet in front of the Ruby Knight.

 _"I serve under him still,"_ the Ruby knight explained. _"His soul still roams this place, and I, one of his most trusted servants, roam it also."_

"That must be a rough existence, standing here all the time and just waiting for challengers," Link said. "I'd imagine you don't get visitors here very often."

 _"My time here is irrelevant. I only awaken when a challenger arrives. So tell me,"_ the Ruby Knight questioned, _"who is the current King of Hyrule?"_

"The current King..." Link said, thinking. "That would have to be King Daphnes VIII."

 _"As I had thought,"_ nodded the knight. _"It has been 2 generations since I have last awoken. King Daphnes VI was the last to rule when I was challenged. King Daphnes IV was the King in my time."_

"Wow," said Link in surprise, "who'd have thought you'd have been here for that long?"

 _"As I have said, my time here is irrelevant. All that matters is..."_ the knight asked as he grabbed his sword, pulling it out of the ground and pointing it at Link, _"are you prepared to meet the challenge of the dead?"_

Link gripped his sword firmly, nodding back to the warrior in front of him. "Bring it."

The Ruby Knight came in quick, moving deceptively fast for having such a heavy suit of armor, slashing quickly at Link, who veered the strike off of his shield before attacking in return, though his blow merely bounced off of the sturdy armor. The knight chuckled for a moment before kicking Link's shield hard enough to throw him off balance before bringing his own blade down, Link barely dodging out of the way of the colossal sword.

"Damn, he's fast..." Link said before ducking a wide sweep from the knight, dodging back as such to get out of his deadly range. "Not only that, but my sword isn't tough enough to get past his armor... Goddesses, this is Scaldorm and that Queen Gohma all over again..."

Switching over to his ax, Link dodged another huge attack from the Ruby Knight before slamming his own weapon into his side, knocking him away and earning a grunt from the larger warrior.

"There we go!" Link said before releasing a wave of Starfire as a distraction before leaping at the Ruby Knight, ax held high to land a huge blow on his head. However, through the flames came a heavy strike from the knight's free hand, throwing him back. Landing on his back, Link got up and held his chest, as the wind was forced from his lungs due to his collision with the ground. He quickly looked up to see that the Ruby Knight had stopped, seemingly waiting for Link to catch his breath.

 _"I will not fight a weakened foe. I will only fight you at your best,"_ the knight explained.

"And they say chivalry's dead," said Link when his breath came back to him, lifting his ax back over his shoulder. "Let's try this again."

The knight nodded, closing in on Link before taking a huge upwards swing that hit Link blunt in the chest and smacking him into the wall, cracking it a bit. Link fell, blood running down his lip.

"Oh... That's bad," said Link before coughing, a bit of blood coming up as well. "Not good at all. It's a good thing this armor is solid, otherwise that might have killed me."

 _"No armor can suppress the bite of my sword for long,"_ the Ruby knight said.

"Then I'll just have to pull through before then," said Link as he shakily stood to his feet, wiping the blood off of his bottom lip.

The knight laughed before Link lay down a new wall of Starfire, the Ruby Knight shaking his head before slashing hard enough to put out the flames. To his surprise, Link wasn't there anymore. Looking around, he was caught off-guard when Link slammed his ax into the knight's back, knocking him off-balance and setting him up for another hit that threw him to the ground. Taking this chance, Link brought his ax down with everything he had, embedding it in the armor coating the knight's back. After he ripped it out, it wasn't long before the Ruby Knight turned around, sword more than ready to behead Link. However, Link ducked the colossal blade, uppercutting with his heavy weapon and knocking his foe off balance once again. Knocking him down once more, Link left another gash in his armor and leaving a large V shape in it.

 _"How?! You were incapable of landing a blow earlier, and now you make a fool of me!"_ the knight asked as he stood, kicking Link away.

"You always go for large, powerful blows when you think I'm not ready. It's an easy thing to figure out after seeing it so many times," Link said as he snapped his fingers, sparking the air around him. He payed it no mind, but the sparks created by his spell were much larger, even dwarfing the knight before him.

 _"I see. Your skills extends beyond that of simple swordplay and magic. You're quite the strategist,"_ the Ruby Knight deduced, holding his sword forward. _"I fear that even my skill wouldn't be enough to hold off such a combination for long. Thus, I will show you the full extent of my power in its unrestrained, most feral state."_

Link was about to ask what the Ruby Knight meant before he suddenly brought his sword down, sending a large shockwave of fire at him from his slash. Barely dodging, Link turned wide-eyed to towards the attack in question. Once it struck the wall, it easily incinerated whatever it hit, and it appeared to have more than enough momentum to keep going.

"What the...?" was all the he managed to as he turned fearfully back to the knight before him.

 _"Another ability I was granted due to my afterlife is my magic, Inferno. I can burn anything that stands in my way,"_ the knight explained, slashing once again at Link.

"My armor should stop that, but... I felt the heat as it passed by. Damn, magical flames must not be included in fireproof..." Link deduced before dodging the next strike, which once again burned through the wall as if it weren't there.

"But wait, the way he's using his magic..." Link said as he charged in, drawing the Antares Edge instead of his ax. "He's using the blade to channel the flames!"

Link quickly dodged to the side of another strike from the Ruby Knight, a trail of fire left in his blade's wake. Drawing the idea from him, Link slashed with his own blade after snapping his fingers close to the blade, igniting it. Luckily, his idea worked out, and the attack left a huge gap in his foe's armor.

 _"Gah! You learn quickly, boy!"_ the Ruby Knight declared before slamming a greave into Link's face and driving him away. _"But what of moves you cannot replicate?"_

Link didn't even bother to ask and quickly grabbed his shield as the knight slashed the ground around himself before grabbing it with his bare hands and lifting it over his head. Link noticed that his gauntlets began glowing with an unnatural light before the huge chunk of earth caught ablaze and it was thrown at Link. Wide-eyed, Link rolled out of the way before the Ruby Knight was on top of him sword held high to finish the job. However, Link managed to veer the blow off to the side using his shield before impaling the knight with his sword.

 _"*Coughcough* Not bad, mortal. Though I warn you, this isn't over yet!"_

Link quickly ripped his sword free before back stepping a few times to get away from the Ruby Knight before his entire form was coated in flames.

 _"Inferno is such a powerful art. I can even channel its power throughout my armor to function as a deterrent."_

Link gritted his teeth. "So, I can't even get close."

 _"Good. You are smart. That will make this much easier, mortal,"_ the knight said before swinging his sword, the ruby blade lighting ablaze.

"I don't intend to go down without a fight!" Link shouted before charging the Ruby Knight, having instead opted to use his ax for the current situation. Lifting the blade high, he hurled it as hard as he could at the knight before him, catching him off guard and burying the weapon in his shoulder. However, Link didn't expect what happened next.

Within mere moments, the flames from the knight's body were absorbed into the blade of the ax, the cutting edge now burning white hot.

 _"What in the name of the Three?!"_ the knight asked as he ripped the ax from his shoulder, throwing it away. Link reacted quickly however and caught it, rolling to halt his momentum.

"This thing... can steal magic from my foes?" Link asked himself.

 _"I give you too little credit, mortal. You were more than prepared to face me."_

Link looked to the knight for a moment then back to his ax, having finally come up with a name for it.

"Heh. The Greed Ax," Link said, settling into a fighting stance.

The knight shook his head before igniting himself again. _"Regardless, it will earn you no victory. Though I must say, you are by far the best to take up the challenge of the Emerald Grave!"_

"I intend to be the last!" Link replied before charging in with his ax, countering the titanic blow that came from his foe with his own heavy weapon and opening a gap in which he could fit in a blow, carving a huge X into the breastplate of his foe's armor and staggering him, at the same time stealing his flames once again.

 _"Incredible...! You are truly worthy of our challenge, mortal,"_ the knight said, holding the gaping wound on his chest. _"But I fear you have much more to do before I can say you've bested it!"_

Link gritted his teeth and back stepped right as the knight drove his sword into the ground, releasing a cataclysmically large wave of flames around him and nearly torching Link had he not dodged when he did. Once the flames dissipated, Link was greeted by the huge flaming knight slamming his shoulder into his chest and sending him back, more blood running down his lip. Quickly wiping the blood off, he grabbed his shield to try and fend off the blow, though the knight's speed and power was too great, and the Sirius Shield was blown from his hand.

"Goddesses damn it!" Link shouted as he gripped his now-burnt hand in pain. The Ruby Knight didn't let up, however, and raised his sword to finish the job, though his blow was halted by a heavy strike to his chest from Link's sword, now piercing through his chest and coming out the other side. Staggering back due to the weapon, he was caught off guard as Link brought the Greed Ax down onto his shoulder again, stealing his flames for a third time. This time, however, Link noted that the entire ax now glowed white, not just the blade. Ripping the weapon free, Link spun around before catching the knight's neck with the burning edge, zipping clean through not only his undead flesh, but also his unyielding armor. It took a moment after the fact for Link to realize that he had done so, but he eventually fell, panting, to his knees.

"That was... way harder than I had thought," he said as he wiped some more blood from his lips. He could really use a good swig from a red potion...

 _"Incredible."_

Link quickly looked around to see that the knight's armor had begun to burn, bathed in a beautiful golden flame. Said golden flame then began smiling at him.

"No, not this again," Link said as he rested his face in his hands. "Why does all of this fire talk?"

 _"I do not know about that which you speak, but I shall not pry. After all, you, Link Valion, have proven worthy of the trial of the dead! This is no small feat for a mortal, even one as skilled as you. Not only that, but you are the first to have bested me since the Dolan of Late. Because of this, you have earned my favor. Now, come claim your prize, the Meteor Mitts,"_ the spirit of the Ruby Knight declared before the flame faded, revealing that all that remained was his sword and his gauntlets.

"Oh thank the Goddesses that ended," Link said before grabbing a red potion from his pouch and taking a swig, kneeling next to the weapons left by the Ruby Knight.

"So, the Meteor Mitts..." Link said as he eyed the bracers, which actually matched his current armor set. "Sure, I'll bite."

Donning the gauntlets, Link was satisfied that they felt rather solid, meaning that they could take a hit. That, and they more rather formidable weight, so he might also be capable of dishing out some unarmed strikes at this point.

"Not bad..." he said before looking down at the Ruby Knight's sword, which for some reason seemed smaller. "And his greatsword, no less."

Reaching down, he was surprised that once his hand was wrapped around the handle, the blade caught fire, much like it had when the knight from earlier wielded it. Quickly releasing the blade, he backed up, watching as the flames quickly subsided.

"I get it, the gauntlets have Inferno in them, so the blade catches fire when used together with them. That's pretty cool," he said as he reached down and grabbed the sword again, the blade catching fire once again. However, when he tried to lift, he was surprised to see that the weapon was exceedingly heavy, warranting the use of two hands, much like the Greed Ax. That being said, with two hands he found it very easy to wield, and after taking several experimental swings, he was very satisfied with the weapon.

"And the Ruby Greatsword, huh? I'll take it."

And with that, the gate barring the room opened, and as such he was free to leave. He quickly left the room, heading back down the stairs and back into the main lobby. He then gave the room a once over, now noticing the huge lock on the central door.

"Hm... I haven't found any other keys, and none of that size or shape. It's like a diamond... Or a sword."

Grabbing the Ruby Greatsword from his back, he was satisfied that the flaming blade fit perfectly into the lock, and after turning the blade, the door quickly opened up, allowing him to continue. His first few steps were weary since the following room was dark, though his new sword quickly changed that and he saw that the room was covered in torches. Using the sword to light them, he easily lit all of them, the room suddenly growing brighter and revealing a huge center column covered in runes with a large switch at the top encased in something.

"Well, more target practice I guess," he said as he drew his bow, aiming a single arrow at the overhead trigger. However, he was surprised that even though his arrow sunk in a small amount, it ultimately shattered.

"What's that covered in, ice?" he asked, noting that magical ice typically shattered when exposed to a foreign body, or at least shattered whatever was exposed to it. "I could probably melt it with my sword, but how to reach..."

Looking around the room, Link saw that this was actually a large hub room with 4 doors in it, including the one he had just entered from. One door was open while one was barred, and the one opposite the one he entered from was closed by a grand lock.

"So, only one way to go right now," Link deduced as he went through the open door. The next room was a long hallway lined with coffins, as well as torches.

"Hylia damn it," Link said as the door behind him shut and the coffins fell open, revealing multiple Redeads, a total of 6 this time.

Drawing his new sword, he was quickly reminded that it caught fire when wielded, and it gave him an idea; If his regular Starfire was enough to incinerate a Redead, then what about the flames from his new sword?

He cautiously approached a Redead that he yet to notice him and quickly struck, dragging his blade up the length of its body and lighting it ablaze. Confirming his hypothesis, the monster was quickly consumed by the flames and reduced to nothing but a smoldering skeleton. With this in mind, he made short work of the remaining Redeads, with only 1 noticing his presence, though it was silenced before it could do anything. The doors on the end of the hall opened, allowing him to progress further. Opening the door, he was greeted by a huge chamber covered wall to wall in sealing tags, in the middle sitting a large lantern with some kind of reflective ball in the middle and giving it shape. Approaching the lantern, Link was surprised to see how heavy it was, as when he went to move it, it didn't even budge. It was them, however, that he noticed that the sealing tags somewhat coated the lantern as well. Peeling one off such to try and move it by clearing some of the tags, he was startled when they all caught fire, the entire room being lit up in a blue blaze.

Jumping back and grabbing his greatsword, he was quickly glared at by a spectral being that came from the lantern. It was large, cloaked in blue, bore silver armor, and had a silver mask with blue detailing,

 _"Who dares to awake me? None have roamed these halls for generations!"_

Link didn't answer at first, instead raising his flaming sword in challenge. "I do."

The specter looked at him for a moment before glowing blue eyes widened after seeing his sword. _"You, a mere mortal, bested the Master of Blades? Outstanding! You are the first to do so since we became the guardians of this place!"_

"He left me the sword as a parting gift," Link said as he backed away from the ghost. If he was like any other Poes yet as strong as the Ruby Knight, he'd need some time to form a strategy.

 _"I see. Very well. You may have bested my dearest partner, but can you best me, the Sapphire King of Shadows?"_

* * *

 **Awww yeeeaaah, chapter 18. Good stuff right there. Heck, Link is doing pretty good for a dungeon full of the undead... I suppose those fire spells and weapons are helping though. Without those, it didn't really look like he could really kill those Redeads. But anyway, I'd say we're getting to a pretty solid story so far.**

 **As always, OniHelix out!**


	19. The Sapphire King of Shadows

**So let's see, last we left off, Link had just beaten the Ruby Master of Blades and claimed his prizes, the Meteor Mitts and the Ruby Greatsword. Overall, it seems like he's doing pretty well so far. But how will he do against the Sapphire King of Shadows... Well, let's find out.**

* * *

Chapter 19

The Sapphire King of Shadows

"First the Master of Blades, now the King of Shadows, huh?" Link asked, carefully observing his opponent. Surprisingly, he hadn't turned intangible yet, meaning he was either braver than most Poes... or different in a special way.

 _"We were in life the greatest of Dolan's soldiers. The Master of Blades struck from the light, and I from the shadows. Though his mastery lies within the blade, mine lays within the arcane arts,"_ said the Poe, waving his lantern to the side on the last part, creating a trail of blue flames before they died out.

"Your friend used magic too," Link said as he brandished the Ruby Greatsword. "I don't think you'll have too many extra tricks up your sleeves."

 _"Ah, you see..."_ said the specter as it started to vanish from Link's sight, _"That's where you're wrong."_

Link was about to question what he meant before ducking as the flaming lantern swung above him, more than ready to smash his head into the wall. Rolling away, he responded quickly and turned with the sword in hand, cutting at the specter behind him, though it wasn't there.

"Still invisible, huh?" Link asked, turning constantly such as to not be caught off guard. "You fight like a coward."

Luckily, Link got the reaction that he was looking for, and the Sapphire King of Shadows came into view, barreling at him with his lantern spinning in front of him. Link merely braced himself and held up his sword grabbing the blade and the handle, allowing the Poe to slam into him blade-first. Link quickly planted his feet and swung upwards with his blade, hoping to disarm the Poe. However, all this did was stagger him and open his guard for a single heavy strike that left a large wound in his spectral torso, simultaneously burning away at his robe.

 _"Smart move, mortal,"_ the Poe said before floating back a few feet, seemingly unaffected by the wound he had sustained. _"I never thought anyone alive would attempt to enrage me as my partner did, let alone use the same technique to wound me. Perhaps you hold more surprises than I."_

Link didn't know what the specter was talking about, but he did know that what he had just done worked. Though the Poe gave no sign of feeling it, he had definitely received a wound that would hinder him. The King of Shadows quickly turned invisible again, Link being forced to rely once again on his instincts or be hit rather hard by a flaming lantern. He decided that at this moment, he didn't need to be able to swing his sword, and as such equipped his shield onto his right hand with his sword held over his shoulder. That being said, he kept moving; he wasn't going to risk just trying to block from one direction alone, especially when he had just nearly been struck from behind naught but moments ago.

Seeing a blue light from the corner of his eye, he quickly raised his shield towards that direction, taking a huge blow from the Poe, though he held fast and used all of his might to swing the Ruby Greatsword one-handed, and though it threw him off balance, he managed to land a good hit on the Poe that he was facing. Most of his blow was diffused by the lantern, however. Though something peculiar happened, namely that the blue fire of the lantern changed to the same crimson red of the Ruby Greatsword. The Poe recoiled for a moment before he was engulfed in the same flames, quickly trying to put himself out, the flames slowly turning to blue and subsiding, Link mentally questioning what he just saw.

"Did I just do that?" he asked himself, noting how the ball in the Poe's lantern matched the color of his sword while the fire remained crimson. Link acted quickly, striking the ball again with his blade, two-handed this time, getting a similar result before taking one more swing and basically detonating the Poe with a massive fiery burst.

 _The ball is channeling the fire from my sword..._ Link thought as he dodged another blow from the Poe. _Maybe it'll channel other fire as well._

Shouldering his blade once more, Link chased after the fleeing Poe right before it turned invisible, catching it with a large burst of Sparks. However, Link noted that over time, his own fire spell had grown beyond what he'd label as 'sparks,' and now was a large torrent of flames, like a flare.

"Ah, Flare."

Snapping his fingers again, he caught the Poe in a large wave of Flare, turning the ball a brilliant gold and igniting the Poe once again. Quickly grabbing his sword, he struck the lantern again and turned it a mix of crimson and gold, the Sapphire King of Shadows being bathed in flames of the very same color.

 _"GAH! How?!"_

Link rolled to the side and lept up with his sword held high before bringing it down, ripping the cloak off of the specter and revealing his overall skeletal form, though it still had a black undercloak to keep most of it concealed.

 _"Unprecedented... You've done more damage than I ever though you'd be capable of. You truly are worthy of the Trial of the Dead."_

"Your friend said that too," Link said as he held his sword before him. "And worthy isn't enough. I need to beat it."

The specter nodded before reaching to his lantern, his hand turning invisible as the ball did so as well before he moved his arm away, having removed the ball from the lantern. Shortly after, the ball ignited, glowing with a powerful blue flame.

 _"Then I shall not waste your time."_

Link was taken by surprise when the Poe threw the ball at him, still burning with the blue flame. Quickly rolling out of the way, he saw the object smash into the wall, the cracks that radiated from its point of entry radiating blue. Suddenly, a sort of tether made from the same blue fire the Poe was using connected the ball to the Poe's hand, allowing him to pull it back.

 _"This is my Channel Orb, a ball made of a special ore that takes on the properties of whatever magic it comes into contact with. It was gifted to me by the Dolan of late, a prize for serving him for so long,"_ the Poe explained before swinging the Channel Orb around, taking many flaming strikes at Link, occasionally scraping the ground and setting it on fire.

 _So that's why when my sword hit it, it burst into flames. It was channeling Inferno._

Link kept dodging, having no other options, lest he be hit by the devastating weapon.

 _But then that means if my sword could ignite it when it was merely acting as a focus for Inferno, then what about the Meteor Mitts...?_

Link quickly sheathed his sword and grabbed his shield, waiting for the Poe to strike again. He quickly did so, throwing the orb right at Link. Bracing himself, he let his shield take the brunt of the blow before reaching his other hand around, grabbing the orb directly. As he had expected, not only did it turn crimson like when he'd struck it with his sword, but it also changed the color of the tether to fiery red, burning the Poe once again. Link quickly took this chance to throw the flaming Channel Orb at the Poe, nailing him right in the torso and breaking some of his ribs, Link seeing the bones clack to the floor.

"That was... Way more than I thought it would do," Link admitted. He had thought that it would only lit him on fire again; the ribs were just a nice bonus.

With the flaming Channel Orb still roasting on his chest, the Poe had to quickly revert it to his blue flames before he was burnt to death. Or, rather, re-death. Once he had done so, he removed it from his chest, floating back to the top of the room.

 _"I must admit, you have done far better than I thought you'd do. Though I fear even you will not find a way out of this."_

Before Link could question what he meant, the Poe hurled the Channel Orb to the center of the room, the blue flames growing brighter before it crashed into the ground, bathing the whole room in a chilling blue flame. Link's breath became visible, and he felt that the temperature had dropped like a stone. He knew what the Poe meant- even if he were to beat him, he'd freeze to death.

"What if I..." Link said as he braced himself before charging towards the Channel Orb, at this point a slow trudge due to the powerful release of flames and how much frost was coating his body. Reaching its point of impact, Link used all of his might to punch the orb. It took a moment, but it gradually turned crimson, the blue fire turning to a potent crimson before screams of pain and confusion were heard as a flaming form fell to the floor.

 _"Y-you've... You've d-done it..."_ the Sapphire King of Shadows said. _"I do not know how, but you've bested me..."_

Link watched as the red fire was gradually replaced by blue, the King's corporeal form burning away. And once again, Link was left talking to a smiling flame. But at this point, he'd figured that it would have happened, so he was fine.

 _"Amazing. Not only did you best my partner, but me as well! You may have what it takes to finish this nightmarish trial. My Channel Orb. Take it. You may find greater use for it than I, and it may help you against the final test of this trial."_

Link nodded, grabbing the Channel Orb and holding it up. Since it was now free of the lantern and not being used to kill him, he was free to examine it to the fullest. All in all, it was made of a highly-polished material that appeared to be metal, and it had steel bracings along the edges, cutting it into eighths. At the points where the braces crossed were rings that revealed an inner core that was perfectly reflective. Holding it with both hands, he was satisfied to see that the core started flowing like magma, the other shell changing to black to look like igneous stone.

"I like it," he said as he tossed it between his hands, the ball being surprisingly light for its size.

 _"Our master is the final challenge you must face, brave warrior. Continue through this Emerald Grave, and you shall face him. Go, and may luck be on your side, for you shall need it,"_ the King of Shadows said before the fire subsided.

"Well, that was quite the ordeal," Marze said as he flitted out of Link's hood, covered in frost. "My scales are frozen together..."

"Then melt them," Link said as he held up the Channel Orb, its radiant heat being enough for Marze to quickly melt his scales.

"...Okay, thanks," Marze said as he situated himself on Link's shoulder.

Link nodded and turned to the door, which was now unbarred allowing him through. Going back through the previously Redead-infested hallway, he re-entered the hub room, looking back up to the large switch encased in ice. Grabbing the Channel Orb, Link experimentally tossed it, noting how he could likely throw it very far... potentially far enough to hit the switch.

"Let's give it a shot," Link said as he reared back, hurling the weapon at the switch and striking it dead-on, destroying the ice and striking the switch, changing its color and opening the barred door. However, the ball stayed on top of the pillar.

"Wait, the King of Shadows did something to give it a tether... What if I..." Link said as he mimed pulling a rope, a red tether of flames appearing between his hands and the Channel Orb, allowing him to pull it down.

"This is really cool," Link said as he caught the ball. "I may even be able to use it like a ball and chain because of this tether."

Putting it away in his pouch, he went up to the now-open door and opened it, revealing a room that was pitch-black, much like the hub room before he lit the torches.

"Looks like a job for the Ruby Greatsword," Link said as he drew his flaming blade, lighting the area. He was startled when he saw the chest that held the key, as between the chest and him was a large chasm that he couldn't jump over.

"Not a job for the Ruby Greatsword then..." Link said as he sheathed his sword, instead getting out his Channel Orb.

"The tether can pull the orb back, but can it pull me if the orb is stuck?"

Link was ready to test his hypothesis by spinning the orb above his head before arcing it at the chest, hitting hard in front of it and getting it stuck in a crater of its own make. Pulling hard on the fiery tether that connected him to his orb, he was satisfied that it didn't budge, meaning he could try this out.

"Marze, stay here. This is going to be rough..."

With a running head start, he jumped as far as he could, maybe getting over half of the chasm before falling downward, using the tether to catch himself before climbing up, which took a little while due to the weight of his armor and gear. Reaching the top, he pulled the orb out and opened the chest, revealing the key to the final door in the Emerald Grave.

"*Whew* There we go," Link said, placing the key in his pouch. "That's the last thing I need. Now, let's get back over..."

Link started swinging the Channel Orb around before slamming it into the ground the same way he had before, using the same technique as before to get back to the other side. Once he reached the top and pulled himself over, he took a few minutes to catch his breath, as all the running, jumping, and climbing had worn him out a little, especially after he had battled Redeads, undead knights, and vengeful spirits.

"So, do you think you're up to it?" Marze asked, making sure Link was ready. From what he'd heard about Link's conversations with the Master of Blades and the King of Shadows, the man who owned the Emerald Grave, Dolan, was still there, and he waited behind the locked door.

"I guess this is as ready as I'll get," Link said as he stood, sighing. This was going to be rough...

Heading back into the center room, Link approached the locked door, looking intently at the heavily-gilded locking mechanism.

"This guy really was rich as a god..." Link said as he placed the gilded key in the lock, turning it and opening the final lock in the Emerald Grave.

"All right, let's do this," Link said as he entered the room, a large room that at the opposite end rested a throne, a large golden chair with emerald fabrics. Sitting in the throne, which was surrounded by two large torches with green flames, was a colossal being standing at least twice as tall as the Master of Blades. Clad in an emerald cloak with golden accents and bearing a golden crown covered in emeralds, Link could see that the being was skeletal, and he could see that beneath the cloak was a suit of emerald armor, and it also had golden details. Evidently, Dolan enjoyed emeralds. As Link thought about it, he remembered hearing stories of how the King of Evil from times passed had enjoyed topaz jewelry, and even bore it in his armor.

Link was shaken from his reverie when the skeleton started shaking, accompanied by the sounds of harsh inhalation, as if someone were taking a breath of smoke after not having breathed for a while, which Link figured was the case with the skeleton. It eventually rose its head, green lights filling the hollows of its eyes, those lights falling onto Link.

 _ **"So... Someone has come to claim their prize... You've come far, brave one... But I fear you will taste no victory... You will be a nice addition to this Emerald Grave..."**_ the skeleton said, its bones rattling as it laughed.

Link merely drew his sword, the skeleton being taken back for a moment.

 _ **"You bested the Master of Blades...? Impressive... I'd imagine that the King of Shadows, too, fell to your might... No matter... You, much like everything else here, will expire... And your body will rot and decay, never again to see the light of day..."**_

Link responded by gritting hit teeth, raising his sword to a combat position and letting the blade roar to life. He was going to keep the Channel Orb as a trump card for now; he couldn't risk the creature before him adapting to him too quickly to his strategies.

 _ **"You raise your blade... Yet both you and it shall fall on this day... I am Dolan Arcturus, the wealthiest man in all of Hyrule..."**_

As the skeleton, Dolan, spoke, he rose from his throne, his bones creaking and cracking as he did so, walking to the center of the room. Slowly raising his hand, a large scythe was called to his hand, a blade of emerald aiming at Link's neck. Then behind him materialized a huge skeleton made seemingly of crystals, towering over both Link and Dolan, the skeleton being at least a good 50 ft tall.

 ** _"Though I'd prefer if you'd call me by my true name; Stalicus, the Emerald God of Death."_**

* * *

 **Ho boy.**

 **So yeah. Dola- Stalicus. Things just got pretty real, didn't they? Especially when a 20ft skeleton guys summons a 50ft skeleton made of crystals. And a scythe... And then calls himself the god of death... So yeah. See what happens next time!**

 **OniHelix out!**


	20. The Emerald God of Death: Stalicus

**Let's see...**

 **Oh yeah, it was about to get real.**

* * *

Chapter 20

The Emerald God of Death: Stalicus

Link took a few precautionary steps back, as this... _thing_ was really, _really_ creeping him out.

"This thing's really freaking me out," Link said as he backed away, Stalicus taking slow steps towards him.

 _ **"Why do you fear, child...? There is no need to be afraid... Soon, there will be nothing to be afraid of... There will be only death... Only nothingness..."**_ Stalicus said as he continued his approached.

"Back off!" Link said as he backed away, shouldering his sword and raising his shield. This was really starting to get to him...

Oddly enough, he heard Marze say something along the lines of 'spooky scary skeletons, send shivers down your spine.' As much as he didn't understand it, Marze was right; Stalicus was sending shivers down his spine, as he was quite a 'spooky scary skeleton.'

"Shut up, Marze..." Link said as he continued to back away from Stalicus. He could just feel how strong he was by his footsteps alone.

 _ **"I grow tired of your inability to make the first move..."**_ Stalicus said as he raised his scythe. _**"It seems... I must be the first to strike..."**_

Link gritted his teeth as the huge scythe came by, nearly blowing the shield clean from his hand. Even though he knew his shield was fine, he didn't know if his arm was; Stalicus hit extremely hard.

The worst part, however, was when he noticed that the crystal skeleton behind Stalicus was shadowing his movements and swung its own arm at Link, back-hand slapping him away. Hitting the wall, Link fell to the ground and rose to his knees, his vision going hazy for a few moments before correcting.

"That hit way too hard..." Link said as he sheathed his sword, grabbing his shield with two hands. He could block Stalicus' blows, but the skeleton's were too much for him. He knew he had to dodge those.

Bracing himself, he charged in at Stalicus, blocking the scythe strike and dodging the skeleton before ramming his shield into Stalicus' torso, pushing him back a bit before landing and grabbing his sword, taking a swing at his ankles and cutting through his armor. As Stalicus regained his balance, as did his crystal skeleton, he went to grab Link by his cloak, lifting him to eye level.

 ** _"I can still see it... The fear in your eyes... Let me ease that fear, child..."_**

Stalicus then tossed Link into the air before swinging downward with the same hand, the skeleton smashing him into the ground. Hitting the ground hard, Link rose back to his feet after a moment, holding his shoulder in pain after dropping his shield.

"Goddesses damn it..." Link said as he tried to move his arm, finding that it refused to listen to him and merely hung limply. "I'm gonna need some red potion..."

Dodging back from a few of Stalicus' blows, Link reached into his pouch and pulled from its depths a red potion, drinking half before flexing his arm and finding that he could move it again. Satisfied, he raised his shield once more, and rested his hand on his sword's handle, remembering what he saw, namely that the skeleton mimicked every single movement that Stalicus made, even being staggered.

"Let's get this party started," Link said as he ran in, watching Stalicus' movements carefully, seeing when he rose his scythe. Planting his feet and bracing himself, Link rammed his shield into his scythe right as it came close, staggering him and the skeleton. Link took this chance to finally deal some real damage to Stalicus, hitting a few times with his greatsword in order to try and get rid of one of his legs, as unlike the Master of Blades, his armor wasn't nigh-impenetrable, and unlike the King of Shadows, he needed his legs to move. Swinging with all his might, Link finally removed a leg from the Emerald God, the bones clacking to the ground away from them both. Even one of the giant skeleton's legs fell away.

Link saw that Stalicus was about to regain his balance and backed away, sheathing his sword again and raising his shield in anticipation of Stalicus' next move, which was actually to stumble and fall and... start laughing?

 _ **"You're much more intelligent than you lead yourself to be, boy... But I fear that you..."**_

At this time, Stalicus rose back to his remaining leg, using his emerald-edged scythe to prop himself up, his skeleton doing the same with its own fallen leg.

 _ **"I fear that you will never see the light of day again... Such is the curse of this Emerald Grave..."**_

Link merely held his ground, holding his shield proudly before him in order to protect himself.

 _I can't let her down... I need to do this for my sister. I_ will _to do this for Ryla! I_ WILL _SAVE HER!_

Replacing his shield with the Ruby Greatsword, Link charged in towards Stalicus, dodging past both the scythe and skeletal leg in order to bring his sword up and slash through the armor and torso of Stalicus, revealing a large, emerald heart in his chest cavity, and it was still beating.

"What in Hylia's name?" Link said as he dodged back, holding his sword high in case he needed it, which he felt he would very soon.

Staggered, Stalicus caught his balance with his scythe, the crystal skeleton doing the same with its severed leg.

 _ **"So... You've found the core of my being... My Emerald Heard... It has beat for decades, even centuries... But one day, it beat harder... Faster... Stronger... It became a flawless organ, the perfect vessel for my spirit... This is the very center of the God of Death, Stalicus... You are the first mortal to see it... But you may well be the last... For you shall not escape..."**_

"Say what you will, I _will_ claim your prize, and I _will_ defeat you," Link said, holding his sword forward. "I'll gain the power of the Emerald Grave, and I _will_ save my sister."

Stalicus merely laughed, a disturbing and ominous cackle as he mimed grabbing something, his mountainous shadow grabbing him and placing him in its chest cavity through the ribs that had fallen when Link revealed the Emerald Heart.

 _ **"The best of luck to you... Though I fear it won't be enough..."**_

Link was surprised as the skeleton reattached its leg, Stalicus laughing.

"So it can just put itself back together..." Link said and though. "But how many pieces can be fixed?"

Charging in and dodging the colossal beast's stomps and arm slams, he ran up and slashed at one of its ankles. To his satisfaction, he ripped clean through it and sent the individual bones flying. However, they quickly rolled back to their original place and reformed its massive foot.

"That wont work," Link said right before he was kicked away by the God of Death, slamming into a wall and rolling back down, his sword blown from his hands.

 _ **"The Ruby Greatsword..."**_ Stalicus muttered as he looked to Link's blade. _**"It has been years since I have last seen it... Pray tell... Does it retain its edge...?"**_

Stalicus reached down and grabbed Link's sword, the red blade being bathed in a flame of pure emerald. If Link weren't coughing up blood, he'd probably think the scene before him was mildly entertaining; a 50 ft skeleton wielding a 6 ft sword is rather comical.

Standing back up and finishing the second half of the red potion he had opened earlier, he finally reached into his pouch and grabbed the Channel Orb, letting it drop to the floor next to him.

"Let's go," he said as he started swinging the weapon above his head, Stalicus laughing.

 _ **"Even the King of Shadows' Channel Orb... It will be a pleasure to take your life, boy..."**_

Link merely narrowed his eyes and starting swing the Channel Orb faster, waiting for Stalicus to get close in order to slam the weapon into his left shin, absolutely shattering the bone and knocking Stalicus over, allowing Link to draw his Antares Edge and rush towards the Emerald God, stabbing several times at his exposed form, or more specifically, his heart, cracking it a small amount. Feeling Stalicus stir, Link sheathed his sword and dashed off of him as he stood, pulling back his Channel Orb, ready to take on the God of Death. Apparently, whenever he was faced with a time where he thought about his sister, it drove him harder than anything else would, and at this point, he had enough adrenaline in his veins to let him do anything.

Stalicus regained his balance, turning back to Link and raising his sword, swinging at him. Link dodged, the sword instead striking the stone next to him, sliding through it as if it weren't even there. His attention was drawn to it, as it crumbled and faded away, almost as if it were decaying.

 _ **"My name is Stalicus, the Emerald God of Death... This means that my every strike... Holds the power to rot and decay... If I draw even a drop of your blood... Then you will die, rotting to nothing but bones..."**_

"Then I just won't get hit!" Link shouted as he ran in, dodging past his own sword as is swung past him, jumping up and throwing his sword into Stalicus' chest and piercing his heart, knocking him back. Quickly equipping his Greed Ax, Link dodged back, as he started swinging wildly with the Ruby Greatsword, Link blocking some hits with his ax, the blade starting to burn with a sick green light. Before long, the entire edge was green, allowing Link to counter one of Stalcus' blows with a heavy attack of his own, knocking him back. Link was also staggered for a moment, but he recovered faster, charging in an executing a spin attack mid-air onto the pommel of his sword, driving it through his Emerald Heart and shattering it, green blood gushing from its crystalline depths.

Landing, he heard Stalicus fall behind him, Link raising his ax triumphantly as his form was bathed in emerald, and then golden flames.

Pocketing his ax and retrieving his swords, Link waited for his next Starlight Coin, as he knew that he was going to get one. Monsters aren't as strong as that without possessing one, no way.

Eventually, the emerald flames subsided, revealing Stalicus' spirit, much like with the Master of Blades and the King of Shadows.

 _"I'm quite impressed, boy,"_ Stalicus, or rather, Dolan, said. _"Not only did you manage to beat my two bodyguards, but me too. But really, I have to thank you. In my last days, I was consumed by greed, and sold my soul to the Devil. He ended up tricking me, making me the eternal guardian of the Emerald Grave. Apparently, the destruction of my physical form has broken the curse he placed upon me. So thank you, boy. No, thank you, young knight. You have freed me from an eternity of pain."_

Link just nodded, as he saw the Starlight Coin had fromed, and now floated in the air between the two of them.

 _"Ah, I see. That is what you had come here for. Well, go ahead, take it. You've earned it. All I ask is that you be careful in your adventures. I hear voices... They taunt me. I fear that you will meet even greater challenges in time. Luck to you, young knight. I fear you will need it."_

And with that, Dolan's spirit burnt out, Link being free to claim his Starlight Coin. Placing it in his pouch, he sighed and sat down, Marze popping out of his hood.

"Well, that was quite the battle, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Link said, falling onto his back. "Goddesses, I'm sore..."

"You should get some rest, especially after a bout like that," Marze suggested, taking to the air. "Maybe at Hyrule Castle Town so that you can copy down the locations from the Resistance's map."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan," Link said as he rose to his feet, stretching his back out and hearing several loud cracks. "Goddesses, I need some sleep..."

And with that, Link started making his way out of the Emerald Grave. However, he remembered something.

"Wait, weren't I supposed to be 'as rich as a god' now?"

Link reached down to his wallet, and found that it was loaded with red, blue, and green rupees, meaning Dolan came through.

"Nice," he said as he closed it and returned it to its place on his belt, heading out of the Emerald Grave.

OOO

"And we're back, finally!"

Having ridden all the way from northern Lanayru to Central Hyrule, he was obviously tired, and made his way over to the Twilit Tavern, flopping down onto a chair.

"Hey, Link," Elvira said as she came by, cleaning a glass. "How'd everything go?"

Link offered a thumbs-up, dropping it down onto the table, along with his head.

"Tired, huh?" she asked, setting down the glass down under the counter. "Not many good inns in Castle Town. I guess you can use my spare room. There's a door in the back near where my friends meet. Head in there, and it's the bed closest to the door."

"Goddesses bless you," Link said as he rose from the chair, his body feeling as if it weighed several tons. The way he flopped onto the bed made it sound like he was that heavy, for that matter. He remembered, however, that he had to remove his armor however, and quickly did so, Marze getting his clothes piled up for a bed of his own, under the bed in case Elvira walked in.

"Well, that's a day. Goodnight, Marze," Link said as he closed his eyes, already asleep.

"Goodnight, young knight," Marze said, recalling Dolan's title for the bounty hunter. A fitting title, really. After all, being 17 and possessing the skills he has... In fact, he may be better of than the knights. In terms of abilities, that is.

It didn't take much longer for Marze to fall asleep, but as soon as he did, a figure slipped into the room, and it was holding something.

"Welcome to the big leagues, kid," a feminine voice said as the figure laid a letter on the nightstand next to Link, leaving shortly after.

OOO

"Hey, wake up, you've got a letter or something."

"Link, having slept in until at least 3 the next day, was woken by Marze. Yawning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, seeing Marze holding a letter with his name on it.

"What's this?" he asked, grabbing the letter.

"It was here when I woke up," Marze explained as Link opened the letter, reading its contents.

 _Link_

 _I know you don't know who I am, so I'll cut to the chase. I'm the current owner of the Gerudo Variety Market. Rumor has it that you've been pretty busy. Death Mountain, Faron Woods, etc. Even heading all the way out to the Emerald Grove of all places! But anyway, this here is a formal invitation for you to meet me at my store today. And try to hurry up, I'm not entirely fond of waiting._

 _-S.R._

Link put the letter back into the envelope, getting out of bed. Stretching, he sighed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"S.R... Goddesses, he sounds pushy. He owns the Gerudo Variety Market though, so it may be something worthwhile. All right, Marze, let's get going. And get off my clothes, I kinda need those," he said as he grabbed his armor, donning it as Elvira walked into the room.

"Oh-! S-Sorry, is this a bad time?" she stuttered, closing the door behind her.

"It's quite all right," Link said. "I have my clothes on, so unless you consider armor naked, you won't be seeing anything."

Elvira slowly opened the door, and seeing that Link wasn't in fact naked, and as such walked in.

"Sorry to bother you, but I need to get ready for work. And that involves changing."

Link blinked for a moment before his face lit up, quickly putting on the rest of his clothes, minus his mask, merely putting that in his pouch.

"S-So sorry!" he shouted, grabbing his gear and strapping it on, Marze having hidden in his hood.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said rolling her eyes. "And close the door behind you. I don't need anyone watching while I change."

Link nodded and closed the door behind him, sighing as he walked to the door.

"Goddesses, my face is burning," he said as he exited the tavern. "It's not everyday a woman tells you that she needs to change right at that moment in the same room you're standing."

"Hylians are weird," Marze said, rolling his eyes.

"That's all you ever say," Link said, grabbing his letter from his pouch. "Well, I guess I might as well check this out..."

Pocketing the letter, he made his way to the secret entrance of the Gerudo Variety Market, passing through the corridor that led to its entrance. What he noticed, is that this time, there were two armed soldiers, Gerudo of course, guarding the door with spears.

"Halt! Who wishes to enter?" one of the guards asked.

"Uh, I got a letter telling me to come here," Link said, grabbing his letter, one of the guards taking it from him.

"...That's the seal. All right, you may enter. Though I do not see why a voe like you was allowed to enter, it seems I must let you. Be wary, however; one slip up, and you'll find yourself making a very close friend with the tip of my spear."

"Ok?" Link almost asked as he walked in, the sounds of spears clanging together as the door closed.

"Sav'otta, Hylian Voe!" called a male voice. Link looked closely, seeing that at the back of the room was a tanned man with orange-red hair, piercing gold eyes, and strange armor on, though to be honest, Link didn't really think it was too much of an armor. On his left shoulder was a gold-rimmed two-layered crimson spaulder with a crimson undersleeve that was tucked into the standard Gerudo gauntlet, meaning a beige fabric with orange and aquamarine markings on it, though it had a golden brace over it to provide extra defense, his right arm possessing the same gauntlet and a sleeve of tattoos spelling something out in the Gerudo alphabet, as well as a golden band wrapped around his right bicep. The spaulder was held on by a golden strap that wrapped around his chest that was connected to a crimson sash to hold weapons on his back or near his waist, though Link saw no such items on his person. His pants were crimson like his undersleeve and had rather strange patterns on them, as well as him plates on his left and right hips, each bearing the Gerudo symbols upon them. The pants themselves were tucked into golden greaves with strange cloth-covered shoes with leather straps upon them. Link saw that around his neck was a golden choker that was heavily decorated, and he wore a sort of gold circlet that resembled a crown with a topaz set in the center, as well as topaz earrings. He even possessed a crimson cape with the Gerudo pattern sewn into it with golden rimming, though it was held around his shoulders with a sort of wolf pelt that was gray in color. (1)

To either side of the man were two more guards, both armed with ornamented greatswords, and both looked like they knew how to use them. They gave Iris a run for her money in terms of sheer fear-inducement...

"Yes, welcome!" he called again, seeming very happy. "I see you've found my lovely little store, and I trust you're interested in what you see?"

Link took this opportunity to inspect the wares this man had to offer, namely Gerudo weapons like last time. However, there were a few odd things that had caught his eye, but he turned back to the man in question.

"Who are you?" Link asked, one of the guards lifting her sword up and stabbing the tip into the ground.

"You will speak to the King with utmost respect, Hylian Voe!"

"King?" Link asked as the man waved off the guard, smiling.

"Now, now, Varina, no need to be so harsh on him. Hylians, especially voe, do not know our customs. And to answer what I'll assume to be a question, allow me to introduce myself. I am Shaagos Ramil, current King of the Gerudo."

* * *

 **Oh boy, new characters! Yeah, this is another one of Reclusive Dork's characters, Shaagos, the King of the Gerudo! And don't worry folks, no evil Gerudo kings this time. And while I'm at it...**

 **(1) He wears a special version of Breath of the Wild's Desert Voe Armor with Gerudo gauntlets, built in sand boots, and a cape with a wolf pelt around the collar.**

 **So anywho, that's another chapter! Took me long enough...**

 **OniHelix out!**


	21. Desert King Shaagos

**Oh boy, new characters! Those are always fun to have, right? (Of course they are) But yeah, good ol' Shaagos Ramil. The new King of the Gerudo... I wonder how he'll pan out?**

* * *

Chapter 21

Desert King Shaagos

"The king?" Link asked again. "I thought all Gerudo were female."

"Female?" Shaagos said to himself. "Oh, you must mean you thought Gerudo are all vai. This is mostly the case, but every 100 years, a voe is born among us, and that voe is destined to be King. Evidently, I am a voe, hence my status as king."

"Voe and... Vai?" Link asked. He wasn't very well-versed in Gerudo language.

"Yes. You and I, we are voe. I believe you Hylians refer to us as... male? And most Gerudo are vai, what you called 'female,'" Shaagos explained, gesturing to them and his guards to clarify his point.

"Ah, I see," Link said, nodding. He more or less understood now.

"Good! Now that we have that out of the way, have you seen anything that has caught your eye?" Shaagos asked, smiling. "If so, we may be able to work out a good price for it!"

"Yes, actually," Link said as he grabbed a box from one of the shelves. The box had engravings upon it such as the Gerudo tribe symbol, as well as a handle wrapped with standard Gerudo wrapping.

"You've got quite the eye, Hylian Voe," Shaagos said, taking the box from Link. "This is a special item straight from Gerudo Town, a Pocket Apothecary. These are only capable of being properly made by master craftsmen, and can be used to create potions whenever you have the ingredients."

"That sounds useful," Link admitted, Shaagos handing Link back the box, opening it to examine its contents. There was a mortar and pestle, several vials, and a list at the top on how to make red potions.

"It is. It has saved many a life back in the desert when no treatment was available," Shaagos agreed.

"So, how much?" Link asked, closing the box.

Shaagos thought for a moment, snapping his fingers and smiling as he came to a decision. "Normally, I'd charge 1,000 rupees for such a rare item, but for you... Does 750 sound reasonable?"

"Yeah, actually," Link said as he grabbing his wallet, finding that there was far more than that in it. "That sounds great."

"Wonderful! So, I'll just need those rupees, and the Pocket Apothecary is yours!"

Link smiled and handed Shaagos the money, his charisma having rubbed off on him.

"Yes, yes, this is good! Sarqso! It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Hylian Voe," Shaagos said as he took the money, placing it into a small box to the side. "Will you be buying anything else, or is that all?"

"I think this alone should do fine," Link said as he placed the Pocket Apothecary into his pouch. "Thank you, this will come in handy."

"Yes, anytime, Hylian Voe! And on your travels, be sure to ask around for doctors. I'm sure they'll have potion and elixir recipes they're willing to share with you. Sav'orq, Hylian Voe, and may our paths cross again," Shaagos said, though right as Link was about to turn and leave, a Gerudo entered and brushed past Link and went to Shaagos, and she didn't look happy.

"Lord Shaagos, permission to speak, sir!"

"Speak, warrior," Shaagos said, his smile still present.

"We've received word that bandits have struck at Gerudo Town!"

At this moment, Shaagos' smile was lost.

"They broke into town and killed several guards, making hostages of everyone else."

"Then we have no time to waste," Shaagos said as he stood, Link only then gathering just how tall Shaagos was, maybe 7 feet tall. Gerudo were all exceedingly tall anyway, so males, who were naturally taller, were likely massive. "Varina, my weapons."

The guard to his right, the previously-named Varina, went into a back room and grabbed two short swords with forked blades, as well as a spear with a forked blade, handing them to her king.

"Fetch my horse, we need to hurry," he said as he sheathed the swords on his waist, both on his back facing his right, and placing the spear on his back, heading for the door. Link got out of the way, as Shaagos had that same look in his eyes as when he thought about Ryla, the look of a savage protector.

"He's like me," Link whispered as Shaagos exited the store, coming to what Link identified as a Shadowsteed, the same kind of horse that the King of Evil rode long agao, though this one was smaller. However, it was still a very large horse, and was black with a red mane, as well as armor that matched Shaagos'.

"If you need me again, Hylian Voe, you know where to find me. Sav'orq, and may the Goddesses bring you luck in your travels."

And with that, the Gerudo guards unlocked the gates and let Shaagos through, his horse moving very quickly despite its size.

"Gerudo Deserst, the home of the Gerudo tribe... Maybe I should check it out," Link said as he head out of the Gerudo Variety Market, making his way over to the Twilit Tavern.

"Oh, hey, you're back," Elvira pointed out as Link walked.

"Yeah, I need to talk to the group, but it looks like I've got some time to kill," Link said as he sat at the bar, Elvira nodding.

"You know, I've got a few things that I could use some help with, maybe do that? It'll pass the time, that's for sure."

"Yeah, I can do that," Link said. "What do you need help with?"

"Well, first of all, I've got word from Meredith that she's been caught up with a group of researchers outside the western gate that need some help from someone more brawn that brain, as apparently a wheel came off of their carriage, and they can't get it moving," Elvira said, holding out a finger. "And second, I think Alphonse said something about making something in his shop on the East Thoroughfare, but he might want some help with that."

"Is that everything?" Link asked, making mental notes.

"Yeah, that should be about it," Elvira replied, holding up two fingers. "All right kid, get a move on. Even if it's just to kill time, it needs to get done."

"On it," Link said as he headed out, making his way towards the western gate. Looking outside, he wasn't surprised to see that the carriage that had been damaged was actually rather far from town, far enough away that the guards weren't too pressured to do anything about it, but still close enough where they'd defend the researchers from monsters.

Making his way over, Link was pleasantly surprised to see Meredith and another scrawny researcher trying to lift their cart, loaded with supplies such as food and water, as well as some digging tools. They gave one more try, but they could barely get it an inch off the ground before dropping it to the ground, clinking sounds being heard from within the cart.

"Would you need help, by any chance?" Link asked as he stepped forward, waving.

"Ah, Link!" Meredith called enthusiastically as she approached him. "How are you? I'm fine, and yes, please, help us."

"All right, so what do you need?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. "I've got plenty of time, so what can I help with?"

"Well, as you can see, we are in quite the pickle. Our wheel came off the axle, and none of us are strong enough to lift it to put it back on. Think you can help?" she said, holding her hands together.

"Likely. I may not be as strong as Kain, but I've still got some muscle to work with," Link said as he went to the cart, grabbing near the axle and lifting it from the ground a good three feet, giving the researchers plenty of room to put the wheel back on.

"Quick, while it's up!" Meredtih shouted as one of the less skinny researchers quickly grabbed the wheel and tried to carry it over, but couldn't and simply rolled it over, Meredith helping him lift it up and get it onto the axle. Nodding, Link set it down, rolling his shoulders for a moment.

"Goddesses, why is it so heavy?" Link asked.

"We just came from Faron Woods," Meredtih explained. "There were a LOT of samples."

Link smiled, rolled his eyes, and investigated the wheel, seeing how there was a slot through the axle for a pin that would hold the wheel on, though the pin wasn't there. Informing Meredith, she came up an checked it out, seeing the same thing Link saw.

"Maybe that's why the wheel came off. Gerard, weren't you the one in charge of making sure the cart was ready?" Meredith asked, turning to a very skinny researcher.

"Alas, I delegated that to _you_ since you wanted it done so badly," the man, Gerard, said in a sassy tone.

"I wanted it done so badly because I'm the leader of the expedition, dumb-dumb!" Meredith replied, everyone present turning to Gerard with a look of, 'well... she has a point.'

"Ugh, very well," he said as he checked the wheel. "The pin is missing. There, happy?"

"Fix it," Link and Meredtih said at the same time, Gerard rolling his eyes.

"I don't see with what, exactly. And you, I don't see why you think you can boss me around," he said as he turned to Link.

"Maybe because I'm a good friend of Meredith's, and you seem to be annoying her right now," he said.

"You people are insufferable. I couldn't fix it if I wanted to," Gerard said, scoffing.

Link rolled his eyes and looked him over, seeing how the man had a pencil behind his ear.

"You could use that pencil, you know," Link said, gesturing to the object behind his ear.

"My pencil? Goddesses man, are you daft? This pencil is more important than anything you could even imagine! This is a tool that inspires intelligence and ambition, not something as barbaric as a sword or an ax. I'm afraid to use my pencil, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands," Gerard finished, turning away from Link and crossing his arms.

"From your cold, dead hands? I could arrange that, you know..." Link trailed off, reaching for the handle of his sword.

"Wait wait wait!" he said quickly. "I believe I can fix this! Look on, as I will be selfless enough to use my own pencil to replace the pin so cruelly lost to nature!"

"I'm glad you had such a sudden change of heart," Link said as Gerard went over to the cart and slid his pencil into the spot where the pin should have been, Link checking the wheel to see that it wouldn't fall off anytime soon.

"Ok, it's good. You guys are free to head back," Link said as he backed away.

"Oh, thank yooouuu!" Meredith said as she hugged Link, the bounty hunter patting her on the back.

"Um, sir," Gerard asked as Meredith released Link, putting her hands on her hips as he approached. "I was wondering how I'd be reimbursed for my pencil."

"Let's just say..." said Link as he narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword, "you can have it back if you pay me with one of your ribs. I'd imagine they're small enough to take its place."

"My word!" Gerard said as he fled into the safety of the cart, peering out at Link as he shook his head.

"Why do you put up with that guy?" Link asked as he sheathed his sword, Meredith shrugging.

"I'm not sure. He's smart though, sooo maybe for that? He's super annoying though..."

"I can tell," Link said as he glared at Gerard, who quickly retreated further into the cart. "Anyway, I should get going. I hear that Alphonse needs some help in his shop."

"Okay, see yooouu!" Meredith called as Link walked back to Castle Town, making his way to the east thoroughfare to where he believed Alphonse's shop to be. Remembering Elvira's words, he recalled that it was on the east thoroughfare. Checking the signs, he was satisfied to see a sign that read 'Erickson's Machinations,' meaning Link had found the place.

Walking in, he was greeted by the sounds of a bell ringing above his head, as it was attached to the door to warn of customers.

"I'll be there in a moment," called a voice from a room in the back, followed by Alphonse, now wearing less casual clothing in favor of clothes that were filthy and covered in grease. "Ah, Link. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Elvira told me that you could use some help, so here I am," Link said, a smile on his face.

"Wonderful!" Alphonse replied. "I haven't had proper help in a while. Here, come around back, I'll get you started."

And with that, Link followed Alphonse into the shop in the back room, a reasonably large room with many tools, work stations, and molds and casts. Link also saw many mechanical weapons, if such a thing existed.

"Might I ask what these are?" Link asked, gesturing to a table where several of the weapons were lain out alongside some tools.

"Those are a special side project I don't tell many people about. It all started when Meredith brought me a piece of ancient technology, a sword of some kind. However, it didn't have a cutting edge. And it had several... lights of some kind, though they didn't work. I broke the piece down, and I've been trying to replicate it ever since. The only problem is..." Alphonse said as he grabbed one of the pieces, folding some sort of blade out, though it had no edge, "...The original weapon had a dried power source, and I can't replicate it. I've copied every connection, even using some ancient parts that Meredith had brought me in order to mimic their astounding durability, and yet without some way to power them... They're just taking up space."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Link said, grabbing one of the weapons. "Wow, these are very light..."

"The metal they're made from can float," he revealed, setting down the one he grabbed earlier. "Whoever designed these weapons was a genius, and it took something beyond today's science to create materials like that."

"These are definitely interesting..." Link said as he set the weapon down, an ancient sword. "You know, if you ever figured out the power supply, I wouldn't mind buying one of these off of you."

"I doubt I'll figure it out, but I've been thinking; the parts Meredith brought me were in pristine condition, so maybe she could find a battery of sorts to power these. Or you, if you so happen to find one on your travels. Find some, and I'll design you any kind of weapon you'd like, free of charge."

Link smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me."

"So, how about we get started?" Alphonse said, smiling. "Oh, but first..."

"What?" Link asked, noting how Alphonse was looking at him strangely.

"You might wanna get changed. These machines in here are unforgiving, and they might tear away at your armor. I've got some work clothes in my room upstairs, so give me a moment to grab those for you," Alphonse said before exiting the room via a ladder near the door to the main room. After a minute or two, he came back down, carrying some clothes that were covered in grease.

"They're dirty, but it's better than tearing apart such a fine armor," Alphonse said as he handed Link the clothes, Link nodding and heading into a small side room, changing out of his armor and into the clothes Alphonse brought him. To his relief, they fit him despite Alphonse being more than a head taller. They consisted of a pair of heavy black boots with steel toes, black pants with straps like overalls, yet lacking the front piece of fabric, a white shirt with long sleeves, though Link knew he was going to roll them up to his elbows, as he didn't want to get caught in the machine, black leather gloves that fit rather well, and a red bandanna to keep his hair back such that it wouldn't get caught in anything, as that would be extremely painful.

Putting everything on, he wasn't satisfied with the way the pants straps felt, as as such simply rolled them off of his shoulders, allowing the straps to hang freely by his legs. This took a belt or two to keep from falling to the floor, however, courtesy of a table in the room. Checking the bandanna and making sure none of his hair was poking out the front, he exited the room, Alphonse looking him over and nodding.

"There's not too many who could pull of that look, you know."

"You heard Meredith, I've got style," Link said jokingly as he rubbed his hands together. "So, what's the deal, what am I doing?"

"While I'm waiting for Meredith to get me the energy sources I need for those weapons, I've been busy making the Knights of Hyrule cannons for use on the castle. They offered a good amount of rupees, so I figured why not? Anyway, I have 3 out of 4 done, and the last one's nearly done. I'm going to have you help me finish it and carry it to the castle," he explained, gesturing to a large cylinder of metal with one open end and covered in golden overlays.

"Always with the heavy lifting..." Link said as he put his hands on his hips. "What do we have to do to finish it?"

"I need to finish the sights, the part that lets you aim it, as well as the mount that the knights will use to move it around and aim it," he said as they walked over to the cannon.

"Ok..." Link said as he thought about it. "I don't understand why they need cannons though... They should be skilled enough with a bow to the point where they shouldn't need these. A bow is fast, easy to make, easy to maintain. What's a cannon good for?"

"One word, Link; Firepower. A cannon uses gunpowder to shoot huge balls of metal, a cannonball, with the force of an explosion. A single shot from one of my cannons can blow a hole through castle walls. That'd be pretty nice to have when you're fighting something like a Talus."

"A Talus?" Link asked. He wasn't familiar with those.

"Yea, Taluses. Those were only discovered recently. They're huge monsters made entirely of rock. Without the right weapons, you're not getting through one of those things. That's where my cannons come in," Alphonse explained, laying a hand on the cannon. "A blast from one of these can break through their bodies, maybe even kill them. And we can't risk sending a few squads of well-equipped knights in to try and take one down, no; the beast might get close enough to the castle to cause damage or kill civilians, and there's no guarantee that the knights would even be able to kill them without getting killed themselves, so these cannons of mine could potentially save lives... That's what we all want at the Resistance, you know; to save lives. That's why we all joined."

"I know," Link said, nodding.

"Plus, if the cannons work out, I was told they'd be willing to pay more for more cannons, even mobilize some in the field to combat monster threats and even expand our borders," Alphonse said, smiling. "We could make Hyrule even greater..."

"Then let's stop talking about it, and let's get to work!" Link said, pumping his fist. Cannons didn't seem like too bad of an idea anymore...

"Just what I was thinking!" Alphonse replied. "Anyway, I'll need your help to properly set the sights. I'm gonna give you a bar, and you're going to shove it down the barrel and make sure it remains as straight as possible so that the sights are properly lined up, all right?"

"Got it," Link said as Alphonse gave him the bar, Link doing as he was told and sliding it into the cannon barrel. It was much slimmer than the cannon, however, so he had to be very careful to ensure that it was straight. He held it in that position for a good few minutes as Alphonse drilled a hole into the cannon, but not all the way to the blast chamber. Grabbing a circle with a cross shape in it, he put a part that just out from it into the hold he had made, grabbing a small crucible filled with molten metal and poured a small amount into the hole to seal it off and lock the piece in place. As it cooled, he occasionally looked through it and moved it ever so slightly with a tap from a small hammer, the metal eventually loosing its white color, as well as its red, as it slowly turned to black. Alphonse nodded to Link, Link pulling the rod out as Alphonse got a file to smooth out the spot he had just formed.

"...And that should do it. Now, all we need is the mount," he explained, looking to the bar in Link's hand. "I think that will do just fine."

Link looked to the bar as well, nodding and handing it to Alphonse. Alphonse then took it over to a forge, burying the middle in coal and gesturing for Link to move to the bellows and pump air into the forge to raise the heat. After a few minutes, Alphonse nodded and pulled it from the flames and dropped it to and anvil, having Link hold a wedge over the glowing center, and the other end to stabilize it as Alphonse struck the wedge with a hammer, eventually cutting it in two. Submerging both glowing ends into water to cool them. Taking one bar, he repeated the same heating process, but this time he moved it to a vise, locking one end in place as he pushed on the other, bending it into a U shape. Once he had the rough shape correct, he took it to an anvil and hammered it into the proper shape, quenching it when he was finished.

"On more heat should do it..." Alphonse said as he heated the ends of his U before moving to an anvil, Link now holding a spike over the glowing tip as Alphonse hammered it, punching a hole into it and widening the overall shape, doing the same to the other side before quenching it.

"Now we put these together," Alphonse said as Link grabbed the previously cut bar, sticking it into the forge and heating in to a glowing white. Pulling it back out, he grabbed a hammer as Alphonse set the U bar onto the glowing bar, Link bending the glowing portion over the U and fusing them together, Link quickly quenching it to keep them together.

"...And there we go. Now I just need to screw this onto the cannon itself and we'll be good to go," he finished as he took the heavy piece over to the cannon, having Link hold it in place as he grabbed two large, ornate bolts and screwed the mount onto the piece, completing it.

"There we go," Alphonse said, wiping his hands off. "You did some good work today, Link."

"I sure did," Link replied as he set down the hammer. "I'd do this more often if I had the time..."

"If you ever have some free time, feel free to stop on by and give ol' Alphonse here a hand."

"Can do," Link said as he put a hand on the cannon. "So... how are we getting it to the castle?"

"You're carrying it," Alphonse said.

"Like, in a cart?" Link asked.

"Don't have one," Alphonse replied.

"Oh... Oh boy..." Link said as he looked at the cannon, which easily weighed several hundred pounds. "Well, I said I'd help..."

Reaching toward the cannon, Link lifted with all of him might, putting the hefty weapon on his back, his face red with effort.

"It's even heavier than it... looks!" Link shouted as he took a few steps, the cannon rattling on his back.

"Then you'd better hurry to the castle then, huh?" Alphonse asked as they walked toward the gate, Link moving rather slowly due to his load. They passed by several people while on the way, each looking to Link in wonder. Despite how thin Link looked, he was actually exceedingly strong, many thanks to his time as a bounty hunter.

"Why can't you... carry this thing?!" Link shouted in between heavy steps.

"I'm old," Alphonse replied. "Old knees, old back, I'm just too old. But you're still young and spry, this should be no problem."

"It weighs like 1,000 pounds!" Link shouted, the weight of the cannon seriously taking its toll on him

"1,152 pounds, to be exact. I use a dense metal from Death Mountain to ensure the recoil doesn't throw the cannon back and off the mount," Alphonse explained, patting the cannon.

"Good to know!" Link said as he took another step, now in front of the gates leading to the castle.

"Halt! State your name and business," Said one of the guards, his spear held in two hands.

"Alphonse Erickson of Erickson's Machinations, here to fulfill your cannon order," Alphonse said as he pulled out a paper the possessed the seal of a high-ranking researcher from the Royal Court, the ones second in command to the King.

"...Very well. What of the boy?" he asked as he turned to Link.

"He's my apprentice," Alphonse said.

"He's stronger than he looks..." the other guard said as he eyed Link, holding a 1,152 pound cannon.

"I bet he's stronger than you," Alphonse said with a smirk as he walked through the gate, a red-faced Link following after.

"Where to... next?!" Link asked, Alphonse pointing to the southeast tower.

"There. It's got quite a bit of stairs though..." he trailed off.

"Just go, this thing is killing my back!" Link shouted.

"All right, let's get going," Alphonse said as he walked to the tower, Link following him up the stairs with the behemoth gun. Reaching the top, Alphonse led Link over to a mount made on-site to fit the cannon onto.

"And just put it in there, and you're done," he said as Link carefully set the cannon onto the mount, Alphonse nodding as he investigated it.

"...All right, it looks good," he said.

"Am I done now?" Link asked, cracking his back. It really hurt after all that...

"I suppose so," Alphonse said as he continued to check the cannon, making sure that it was ready.

"I'd imagine you'd want these clothes back, right?" Link asked.

"You know what? Keep them. They're too small for me anyway. They fit you just fine though, so I see no point in taking them back," Alphonse said, finishing his investigation of the cannon.

"Well... Thanks, I guess," Link said as he rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, it's getting late. It's about time we got to the Twilit Tavern, right?"

"Oh, you're right!" Alphonse said, standing. "I just need to head back to the shop to put on proper clothing, I'll be there shortly."

Link nodded and waved goodbye as Alphonse left, Link then undoing his bandanna and wrapping it around his neck, as it was decently warm out that day. Heading back through the gates, one of the guards stopped him, telling his to wait for a bit.

"Hey, you," he said, drawing Link's attention. "Come here for a bit, I'd like to talk with you."

"What do you need?" Link said as he approached the guard.

"You seem pretty strong, lugging a cannon around like that... You know, the knights are always accepting new recruits," he said. "I could put a good word in with my squad leader if you ever wanna join."

"Thank you very much, but I don't think that will be necessary," Link said, smiling.

"What?" the guard asked, confused. "Why's that?"

"General Sebastian had already offered me. You can't get a better word than him, right?" Link said, the guard thinking. "Other than the King Himself, of course."

"Well... You actually can," the guard said.

"What?" Link asked. "Who?"

"Her Majesty's personal bodyguard. Other than King Daphnes, her bodyguard is the one in charge of the Hyrulean Army. When the King has his kingly duties to do, he delegates control of the entire military to him or her, as well as General Sebastian," the knight explained.

"Him or her?" Link asked. "You mean to tell me you don't know?"

The knight nodded. "No one does. Other than the King and the princess, no one has ever met the princess's bodyguard. There's a rumor that her bodyguard isn't even Hylian, but that he or she is actually some kind of spirit, or even a demon."

"Really?" Link asked.

"Really," the guard said, nodding. "I once heard that the same day that Lord Raven, bless his soul, took an arrow for the princess, her bodyguard thwarted an entirely separate assassination attempt all on his or her lonesome."

"Raven..." Link said. "My father..."

"Wait, wha- Your father? You mean to tell me that you're Raven's son?!" the guard asked, surprised.

"Yeah..." Link said. "My name is Link Valion," he said, looking the guard straight in the eyes.

"Link Va- Wait... You look just like someone I know... By the Goddesses, you're the spitting image of Virtus... You must have it rough, kid, looking just like the Hero of Legend..."

"Yeah," Link said as he clenched his fist. "Yeah, I do. I have to go."

"Oh, right, sorry to keep you," the guard said, resuming a formal stance. "Have a good evening, and be safe."

"Yeah," Link said as he walked away.

OOO

Entering the Twilit Tavern, Link looked up to see that everyone, including Alphonse, was already there, meaning his conversation with the guard had taken more time than he had originally thought.

"I honestly thought you'd get here before me, but I guess not," Alphonse said, a smile on his face. "Oh well, it hasn't hurt anything. So, how'd everything turn out at the Emerald Grove?"

Pushing thoughts of 'False Hero Virtus' from his mind, he thought back to the Emerald Grove, but more specifically, the Emerald Grave.

"Let's see... Well, there's a large grave made of Rupee ore, and there was a puzzle in order to move it and enter the Emerald Grave," Link explained, Meredith getting out a notebook and writing things down.

"Keep talking!" she said as she finished her notes. "This could mean an all-new expedition!"

"While I was in there, I fought two guardians, specters known as 'The Ruby Master of Blades' and 'The Sapphire King of Shadows.' Once I defeated them, I claimed their weapons as such to delve deeper into the Emerald Grave."

"Nice, nice!" Meredith said, absorbing every word.

"At the end, I fought the man whose grave it was, a man named Dolan Arcturus. He had, in life, sold his soul to the devil for money, and ended up cursed to guard his grave for eternity, now under the name 'The Emerald God of Death: Stalicus.' He even summoned a large skeleton made of crystal... It hit really hard..."

"Sounds rough," Iris said. "It doesn't help that you weren't wearing full plate. You know, I could help you get your hands on a suit. All I'd need is a few Rupees, and I could take care of the rest. I've got plenty of friends who know what needs to be done for a good suit."

"I might have to take you up on that," Link said. His armor was tough, but only where it actually covered his body, as it was only really plated at his forearms, calves, and chest. Everywhere else was mildly exposed.

"I'll see what I can do about it."

"So," Meredith said, drawing attention back to the previous conversation, "did you find another coin?"

"I sure did," Link said as he pulled out his third Starlight Coin, sliding it across the table to Meredith, who picked it up and inspected it.

"That's a magical coin if I've ever seen one!" she said enthusiastically.

"So, where to next?" Link asked, looking at the map.

"That would be... Oh..." Meredith said as she looked at the map they had. "Oh, that's not good..."

"What?" Link asked, looking at the map. There were still four red marks on the map, but none really jumped out at him.

"Well..." Meredith said, pointing at one in the far west. You'll be heading to Desert Province to assist the Gerudo with... Oh, my..."

"Just tell me," Link said.

"You're going to be heading to the... To the Savage Pillar," Meredith said, pointing once again at the dot in Desert Province.

"Savage Pillar?" Link asked, having not heard of it before.

"The Savage Pillar..." Meredith said as she grabbed her research tome, "is a massive mechanical structure deep in Gerudo territory, meaning you'll need permission from the chief to even go there, but even worse is how bandits, thieves, and murderers have taken to that place as a sort of hideout. They're not really hiding though... Everyone knows they're there, no one is willing to go there and risk getting killed..."

"What about the pillar itself?" Link asked, not a hint of doubt in his voice.

"It's been a while since anyone has actually been there, but supposedly the entire structure can change its layout to prevent intruders from getting too deep, and even the entrance is guarded by Lynels... Three of them, no less..." Meredith explained.

"Lynels..." Link said, leaning back. "Lion men... I heard they've become more of a threat recently."

Meredith nodded. "It's partially because people have been getting more careless, thinking that our advancements are too much for monsters to handle, but for bigger things like Lynels, nothing could ever prepare you enough. People have even claimed to seen one ravaged by a desert lightning storm and walk away with nothing but burn marks as if nothing had happened."

"I seem to recall something about a Molduga claiming the area between Gerudo Town and the Savage Pillar as its own territory," Iris said, pointing to a spot on the map. "Take extra caution when you're around there no monsters willing to fight a Molduga."

"A Molduga?" Link asked. "Aren't those the massive sand-worms?"

Iris nodded. "This one is even supposed to be extra big. I hear its got a name, something like Dawddat Aljahim. I think in Gerudo it means 'Hell Worm,' or something like that."

"I'll be extra careful then," Link said as he stood. "Oh, I should copy this down for future reference..."

Getting out his own map, Link copied down the four remaining trouble spots.

"The desert is hot," Tensa said, once again proving that he actually possesses the ability to speak. "Find proper clothing or die of heatstroke. I have read of a bazaar that could help you. Find it to survive the blazing heat."

"Oh, right, Tensa's here," Meredith said. "You never talk, so we sometimes forget about that, hehe..."

This was met by a glare from Tensa before he closed his eyes and stood.

"I have other things that I must attend to. Good luck, Valion," he said before leaving.

"Well, I should get going too. I'll see you guys later when I'm done with this Savage Pillar," Link said as he put his map away. "And Iris, I trust that a suit can be made by the time I get back?"

"Sure can. My friends are the best at what they do," she said, smiling. "And just worry about payment when you get back."

"All right," Link said as he waved goodbye, exiting the bar.

"You know," Marze said as he popped out of Link's hood, "with all of this armor you're getting switching to the set that you need might become annoying. I've got a spell that could help you with that, if you'd like."

"Ooh, another spell?" Link asked, intrigued. "What'll this one do?"

"Well, it basically lets you instantly change between armor and clothing sets. Of course, this will require for me to add to that marking..." Marze explained.

"Go for it," Link said as he sat down, taking his glove and gauntlet off, revealing his previously attained Flamebrand.

"This one isn't as big, so this should only take a second..." he set as he started branding Link with his claw on his upper forearm.

As Marze had said, the branding too only a moment, and he was now left with a four-pointed star with the bottom point being twice as long as the others. There were two perfect circles behind the star, a border being made between them. And finally, there were points at the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest directions.

"...And there you go. Here's your new brand, your Changebrand," Marze said, naming Link's new brand.

"So, this will help me change more quickly?" Link asked, as he looked at his new brand.

"Yep," Marze said as he flew up to Link's shoulder. "Just snap your fingers while thinking of the outfit you want to change into. Really, this is a very simple spell."

"Well, let's give it a try," he said as he thought about his armor from the Goron Mines, which he decided he needed to name. "Let's call it... The Flamebreaker Armor."

Snapping his fingers, he was suddenly clad in his flameproof armor, and thinking back to his engineer's clothes and snapping again, he was back into those.

"Oh, this is nice," he said as he stood, snapping back into his Flamebreaker Armor. "Anyway, we'd better get going. This Savage Pillar won't be going anywhere, but it sounded like Shaagos had some things he may have needed help with in regards to those bandits who invaded Gerudo Town. It wouldn't hurt to have an experienced bounty hunter with him, right?"

"I suppose," Marze said, heading back into Link's hood. "To the desert!"

"To the desert indeed," Link said as he headed to the western gate, the one that would eventually lead to Gerudo Desert, the land of the Gerudo people.

* * *

 **OH BOY, NEW CHAPTERS. Yes, I named Link's armor that he got from Death Mountain the Flamebreaker Armor. It was too good of a fit. Yes, he got another spell. He's getting more armor, and he needs to be able to change at a moment's notice. Yes, he has a portable potion maker. That's just extremely useful, and don't you lie to me, it would be in BotW too. Yes, that's about the end of this author's note.**

 **OniHelix out!**


	22. Gerudo Desert

**So last we left off, Link was heading to Gerudo Desert, the home of the Gerudo, and his next destination, the Savage Pillar. And not only that, but Meredith gave off the impression that it wasn't the best of places. Which makes sense, especially when you add in criminals, Lynels, and a special Molduga. Yeah, Link's got his work cut out for him.**

* * *

Chapter 22

Gerudo Desert

"So, what should we do first?" Marze asked from atop Link's shoulder.

"Well, if what Tensa said is any indication, then we should head to the Bazaar," Link reasoned. "Dying in the desert won't exactly get me anywhere..."

"True," Marze agreed. "Now, let's get going. To the desert."

Link sighed and nodded, as he knew he had to get going. Not only that, but due to the desert sand, he wouldn't even be able to take Epona, as she might get trapped...

"Look's like I'm gonna have to walk..." he said, hanging his head in despair as he walked towards Gerudo Desert, heading out the Western Gate from Castle Town. He knew that from there it was a long trip, especially without a horse.

Exiting Castle Town, he looked west, and was even more disheartened by the fact that he couldn't see Gerudo Desert, or even the Savage Pillar, which was supposed to be huge.

"This'll be a while..." Link said as he continued walking. He would have taken Epona, but from what he understood, its turned to sand rather quickly, so he'd maybe only spare a few minutes, and he wasn't going to have Epona do something as simple as a few minute ride. He could make it himself, it would just take a little longer.

Exiting Hyrule Field, he looked at how quickly the eastern plains turned to the sands of the Desert Province. Somehow, the desert sands had overtaken some of Hyrule Field's eastern plains, turning this very tiny section into a part of the desert itself. Heading into where grass turned to sand, he was surprised when the temperature was noticeably higher when he got a few feet into the sands. Snapping into his Flamebreaker Armor, he was distressed when he found that it didn't reduce the heat at all.

"I guess it only works with flames," he said before switching back to his engineer's clothes, as they were the lightest things he owned, and they wouldn't heat him up as quickly. "Which is weird, since they made it feel almost cold when I wasn't in the volcano."

"It may have just been that you had grown used to the volcano heat," Marze said.

"True," Link said, trying to take a few steps but finding that his feet were somewhat buried in the sand. "What the? Oh, so unless I keep moving, I'll get stuck... Good to know."

And with that, Link started making his way deeper into the desert sands, natural rock formations disappearing and being claimed by it the further he made his way in. Not only did it look more and more like the desert, it also got hotter and hotter the more he walked. He was already sweating at this point, too.

Looking off in the distance, he saw three things. The first he saw was the Bazaar that Tensa had told him off, and it was close to the natural entrance to the desert. The second was Gerudo Town, the home of Shaagos and his people, easily several miles into the desert. They must have been a very hardy people to be able to tolerate such heat so easily. And the third thing was the main reason he was out in the desert in the first place.

The Savage Pillar.

Though it was much, much, MUCH further into the desert than Gerudo Town, it was easily visible due to its towering height. It was primarily a deep brown color with faded golden accents, though it was covered in strange orange lights. The structure itself was also covered in ornate gears and pistons with several massive gears at the top acting as a sort of roof.

"I have a really bad feeling about this..." Link said as he walked over to the Bazaar, looking around at some of the vendors to see what they had for sale, seeing many exotic fruits, medicinal plants, and meats from many rare animals.

"I should come here more often... There's a lot of nice stuff here."

"That big green fruit looks pretty good..." Marze said, eyeing a large bin filled with large green fruits. Link walked up to the vendor, a male desert dweller distinct from the Gerudo, and asked what they were as he pointed to the bin.

"These?" the man asked, having a Gerudo-esque accent. "Oh, my friend, these are hydromelons. The juices in these beauties can re hydrate you in no time, making them a must-have whilst in the grueling desert heat. But, might I also interest you in some nice Warm Safflina? With a potion made grinding up and boiling the petals, it makes even the bitter cold of the desert bearable. I would recommend both to you, each for but 20 Rupees. But, if you buy three of each, I will charge only 100 Rupees. Quite a deal, right?"

Link looked at the melons and flowers, grabbing one of the melons to see how heavy it was, and it weighted more than a few pounds.

"That sounds fine to me," Link said as he got the money he needed out, handing it to the vendor.

"Thank you very much!" he said, flashing Link a wide grin as he put his new purchases into his pouch.

Heading away from the stand, Link sat down behind a wall where no one could see him and grabbed a hydromelon out from his pouch, as well as a knife, cutting it open to reveal its juicy red interior.

"Oh, that looks good," Link said as he cut off a small piece, handing it to Marze, who took a careful bite before nodding in approval and eating the rest as link took a bite of a large chunk he cut off, chewing it with a content smile on his mouth.

"This is really good," he said, cutting off another piece. "And really juicy... I see why he recommended this. I don't even feel hot anymore. But I'll hang onto this for later, it'll come in handy."

Getting back up and placing the melon, wrapped in a cloth to keep it fresh, back into his pouch, he started looking around to try and find an armor shop, but to his dismay, he didn't see anything similar.

"Maybe in Gerudo Town? I'll definitely need it then... These won't last me all the way to the pillar. I better hope I can find some good armor there... I won't be able to just rush it to the Savage Pillar... I'll need to take my time, especially with criminals, Lynels, and a Molduga. I'll need armor as soon as possible."

"Then you'd better get going," Marze said. "The sun will set soon, and you don't have and of those potions made yet."

"Yeah, and the sand will slow me down..." Link said, eating another chunk of melon before getting a light jog going through the sand. Slowly but surely, he made his way to Gerudo Town.

OOO

It took him a while, but he managed to arrive in Gerudo Town around sunset.

Or rather, make it to the gates.

When he walked up to the main gate, he was stopped by a pair of guards armed with spears standing watch.

"Halt!" one of them said, the pair of them aiming their spears at him. "No Voe allowed!"

"Voe..." Link said. "Oh, male. I was asked to come here."

"By whom?" they asked, lowering their spears. "No one other than the King has the authority to allow Voe into this town. And he isn't very fond of outsiders."

And with that, they raised their spears once again. "So, why are you here, really?"

Link held up his finger and reached into his pouch, grabbing the letter he had received from Shaagos, handing it to the guard.

"What is this?" she said, snapping it away from Link. "What the...? This is..."

"What is it?" the other guard asked, moving over to her companion. "Wait..."

"I woke one day to find this letter, telling me to come to the Gerudo Variety Market, and on that day Shaagos was there. I bought a pocket apothecary from him. He left once he was informed of bandits. Also... What happened with that? Everyone looks fine."

"I think this Voe actually has permission to enter..." one guard said, ignoring Link and still looking at the letter.

"I will check. You stay with the Voe," the other said, heading off to a large building deeper in town. It took a few minutes, but she returned, stepping to the side.

"The King has allowed this Voe entry. But he gave me a message. He wishes to know how the pocket apothecary is treating you."

Link smiled. "I'll let him know."

With that, the other guard stepped aside, allowing Link in.

"Though you are allowed in, it does not mean that you are exempt from our other laws. Be cautious such as to not break them. Our King may have taken a liking to you, but our laws are absolute."

"Can do," Link said as he walked in, noting how the town was thankfully warmer than outside, as the sun had set and he was starting to shiver.

Looking around, he saw that there were many shops around town, including an inn, thankfully. Not only that, but he saw an armor shop... that wasn't an armor shop. It only sold clothes for females.

Of course.

Therefore, due to the lack of what he was looking for, he made his way to the largest building in town. This was of course because that is where Shaagos Ramil, the King of the Gerudo, lived.

As he walked through town, Link noticed how many of the Gerudo that saw him more or less stared at him, some without expression, but others looked at him with anger.

"Why is that Voe here?"

"How did he get in?"

"Why won't the guards get him out?"

"He's cute..."

Needless to say, comments like that made Link blush, and there was a surprising number of them. However, the vast majority consisted of confused and angry glares.

"Looks like you aren't very welcome here," Marze whispered.

"Yeah..." Link said as he walked up the stairs to Shaagos' home, the guards stepping out of the way. Evidently, they had already gotten the message that he was allowed in.

Walking in, he looked around to see that the room was very well decorated, the Gerudo emblem displayed prominently throughout. And sitting on a large throne in the center of the room was none other than Shaagos, a large smile on his face.

"Sav'saaba, Young Voe! You did come to visit! I just didn't think it would be so soon," he said.

Link walked up closer, standing in front of Shaagos' throne, which was flanked on either side both by guards, and two large statues of wolves.

"I needed to come out here anyway, so I saw no reason not to," Link replied.

"Might I ask what you're here for?" Shaagos asked.

"Well," Link said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the town below them, "when you left your store, it was because of bandits. But everyone looks fine. What happened?"

"If you wish to discuss that, the follow me," Shaagos said, rising from his throne and leading Link to a balcony that overlooked the town.

"You see, bandits have their eyes set on my beautiful town. We have food, water, money, many things that they desire but cannot get easily. Therefore, they plan raids on my home. But, they can only strike when I have left," Shaagos explained.

"Why's that?" Link asked the taller man.

"You may not be able to tell, but I myself am the bulk of the Gerudo's might. I have mastered use of dual swords, spears, and magic."

"Oh, you use magic?" Link asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Shaagos said, smiling. "Do you?"

"A little," Link admitted. "I'm not too good though. I only use them when I absolutely have to."

"Might I see?" Shaagos asked. He knew Link impressed him, but now he wanted to see how much he did.

"Sure," Link said as he raised his hand, snapping his fingers and creating a small amount of orange sparks. This action brought a smile to Shaagos' face.

"Impressive! But I must ask, is that all you can do? Not only the size of the flames themselves, but spells in total."

"No, not at all. I can create much larger flames, and I have a spell that can change my clothes. It gets really useful considering how much armor I have."

"Very interesting. I myself have mastered lightning and light magic. They're even imbued into my weapons to get similar effects," Shaagos said.

Link nodded. "That's very cool."

"Cool? Is that what you Hylians say?" Shaagos asked.

"I don't know about other Hylians, but I do," Link said. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"Ah, yes, the bandits," Shaagos said, nodding. "I received word about the bandits, and I rushed to the desert entrance on my steed, getting off and walking the rest of the way here. Once they saw me, most fled, but the ones who must not have known the threat I posed to them stayed and fell in battle. My only regret is that I could not return in time to save the guards that were slain."

"I'm sorry to hear that... But that isn't the only reason I'm here," Link said.

"Then why else have you come to the desert?" Shaagos asked, turning to Link.

"I need armor that will make it so I can make it to the Savage Pillar."

Shaagos' smile left.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible," Shaagos said.

"Why not?" Link asked.

"That land is the sacred ground of the Gerudo. The thieves there are breaking my laws. The only reason they remain is because we lack the strength to wipe them out."

"I could drive them out," Link said.

"No. You may be skilled, but skill doesn't matter in a place like that," Shaagos said, shaking his head.

"What would I have to do to prove that I could go?" Link asked.

"You can't be serio-" Shaagos said, though he stopped when he saw Link's face. "Goddesses, you are."

"I have too much at stake not to try," Link said, his determined glare ever-present.

"Very well. You wish to know what you must do to be granted access to the sacred lands of my people?"

"Yes," Link said.

"You must best me in one-on-one combat."

Link clenched his fist.

"I'll do it."

"So," Shaagos said, "you really wish to go through with this? Very well. Stay at the inn in town, tell them that I will pay for your stay. Sav'orr, Hylian Voe. We will fight in the morning. You will meet with the guards at the south gate, they will take you to the battleground."

Link nodded and headed down the stairs, turning to what he knew as the inn, stepping inside.

"Ah, the Voe. Why are you here?"

"Your King has offered to pay for a night. I'd like to get my sleep," Link said.

"Hmph. To your left," she said, Link turning to the room with the bed he was to sleep in. Finding the softest one, he removed his gear and climbed in, Marze once again making a bed out of Link's clothes.

"So, you're fighting the King of the Gerudo? That doesn't sound too good," Marze said.

"I'll do what I have to in order to save my sister. If I don't beat him and instead have to simply sneak my way there, then I will," Link said, never taking his eyes away from the ceiling.

"You'd better get your rest then," Marze said, burying himself in Link's clothes.

Link stared at the ceiling for a moment longer before closing his eyes, letting sleep claim him. He had quite the day ahead of him.

OOO

"Wake up, sun's up."

Link awake to Marze on his chest, shaking him such as to get him up. Climbing out of the bed and cracking basically every bone in his back, Link donned his gear and snapped his fingers, changing into his Flamebreaker Armor. He was fighting a man who alone was the bulk of the Gerudo's might, and as such he needed armor that would absorb as much damage as possible.

Exiting his room, he was greeted by two guards.

"Are you prepared?" one of them asked, Link nodding. "Then follow us," she said, walking out of the room with Link following after them. The headed out of town, leading Link to a large mesa with stone stairs carved into the side to allow people to climb it more easily. Reaching the top, he saw Shaagos there, sitting in the middle of the mesa and facing away from him.

"So, you truly did come," he said, neither turning around nor standing. "I commend your bravery. Or is it foolishness? Only our battle will tell us."

Shaagos finally rose, Link seeing his spear and swords on his person. Link drew his own sword and shield, more than ready for a fight with the strongest Gerudo in Hyrule.

"You sound ready. Good. I won't fight someone who isn't ready," he said as he drew his own two swords, one having a more golden hue than its twin's white hue. "I am Shaagos Ramil, 217th King of the Gerudo. And I accept your challenge, Link Valion."

Link merely tightened his grip on the Antares Edge, raising his Sirius Shield. He was going to have to give this fight everything that he had if he wanted to get into the Savage Pillar, to save his sister.

Shaagos then turned around, his smile having been replaced by a menacing glare.

"In the name of the Seven, I offer this Hylian Voe a chance to enter our sacred lands through combat," he said, raising one sword over his head, holding the other out in front of him. Lowering himself closer to the ground and getting into a fighting stance, he spoke once again.

"Come at me, Hylian Voe."

* * *

 **Ho boy, now Link's got some problems. Not only was the pillar itself going to be challenging enough, but now he's gotta fight ol' King Shaagos in order to prove he's ready to go there. I wonder how that's gonna pan out... Oh well, we'll find out next chapter.**

 **OniHelix out!**


End file.
